Soccer-Paris St Germain remind fans of their power ahead of Bayern clash
By Julien Pretot Soccer-Paris St Germain remind fans of their power ahead of Bayern clash
MIAMI, - When Paris Saint-Germain are in full flight they remind fans why they are one of the most dangerous teams in world football, as they showed in their blistering 4-0 win against Inter Miami at the Club World Cup on Sunday.
The demolition of the MLS side was a statement of how devastating European champions PSG can be when their collective talent snaps into perfect sync.
The way they dismantled Lionel Messi's Miami outfit in a suffocating first-half blitz will have not gone unnoticed by their quarter-final opponents Bayern Munich.
Under a closed roof in Atlanta in a game played with a controlled temperature of 19 degrees Celsius, Luis Enrique's side pressed with relentless energy, moved the ball with purpose, and choked the life out of their opponents.
"We started the match really well and imposed our rhythm," said Bradley Barcola after the game. "We had a bit of fatigue in the group phase but we rested. When we're in form like this, nobody can stop us."
Joao Neves, who starred with two goals in a man-of-the-match performance, reflected the team's relentless mindset.
"We will continue to play our game no matter the opponent," the Portugal midfielder said.
Luis Enrique, who has turned PSG into a cohesive, ruthless unit, stressed that their ability to stay focused was key.
"We started the match in the best possible way, with concentration and the right mentality to play our football from the first minutes," the Spaniard said
"We deserved our lead at halftime and after that it was a completely different match because the result dictated everything."
His words reflected satisfaction with the performance and an awareness that maintaining such intensity is the key to finally delivering on PSG's long-held ambitions.
As the Paris side prepare for a far tougher test against Bayern in the quarter-finals on Saturday, the emphatic display served as a timely reminder of their immense potential.
"PSG are a top team, European champions," Bayern striker Harry Kane said. "We played them once this year and we came out on top but it was a difficult game and we know the qualities they have and we'll have to be ready."
However, Kane, who scored twice in his side's 4-2 win against Flamemgo in the last 16, was also oozing confidence.
"... we feel that when we're on top of our game, we can defeat anyone and we're going into this game with no different feeling."
This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
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