Inter Miami’s forward Lionel Messi in action. [AFP]
Lionel Messi faces a reunion with his former club Paris Saint-Germain after his Inter Miami side reached the last 16 of the Club World Cup with a 2-2 draw with Palmeiras.
The Brazilian side fought back from two goals down to draw at Hard Rock Stadium, a result which secured both teams a place in the knock-out stages.
Goals from Tadeo Allende and Luis Suarez had Miami on course for a second surprise victory in the tournament after their win over Porto.
But the Brazilian side struck twice in the last 10 minutes through Paulinho and Mauricio to make sure of their place in the next round.
Few expected Miami to make it out of the group, but they now face the European champions, while Palmeiras will have an all-Brazilian encounter with Botafogo.
For Messi, who celebrates his 38th birthday on Tuesday, the tie in Atlanta will see him face his former club PSG for the first time since leaving them to join Miami in 2023.
“It’s a historic night for the MLS because we are into the best 16 teams in the world, and all the MLS has to be proud of is Inter Miami,” said Miami coach Javier Mascherano.
The result meant that Egyptian club Al Ahly and Porto were both eliminated despite producing a highly entertaining 4-4 draw at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
There were six Argentines in the Miami starting line-up, which took the field in front of a large Brazilian contingent in the 60,914 crowd.
The travelling fans were on their feet in the opening minutes when Gustavo Gomez powered a header goalwards from a corner, but Oscar Ustari was down well to save.
Miami grabbed the lead in the 16th minute when Suarez brilliantly chested a long ball into the path of the on-rushing Allende, who showed pace to break clear of the Brazilian defence and then composure to fire past Weverton.
Palmeiras’s tactics of sitting off Miami were not working, with Messi dropping deep and linking up with Sergio Busquets and Federico Redondo as the Major League Soccer side enjoyed plenty of possession.