Messi’s Brace Propels Inter Miami to Victory Over LAFC in Champions Cup Quarterfinal
Lionel Messi showcased his incredible talent once again, scoring two goals and assisting another in Inter Miami’s hard-fought 3-1 victory over LAFC during the CONCACAF Champions Cup quarterfinal in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The match, held on Wednesday at Chase Stadium, saw Messi find the back of the net in both halves, with defender Noah Allen also contributing a goal for Miami.
“We had to come back,” Herons’ manager, Javier Mascherano, noted after the game. “It’s never easy in fútbol when you have to come back.”
Throughout the match, the Herons were more aggressive offensively, outshooting LAFC 21 to 13. However, they managed to place only nine of those shots on target, compared to LAFC’s eight. Miami also dominated in passes, completing 526 compared to LAFC’s 341.
The game was marked by its physicality, with LAFC defenders frequently bringing Messi down and trying to thwart his goal attempts. LAFC struck first in the 9th minute when center back Aaron Long capitalized on a setup by striker Nathan Ordaz, firing a volley past Miami’s goalkeeper, Oscar Ustari.
Messi seemed to have equalized in the 31st minute with a clever free kick that caught everyone off guard, bending a left-to-right shot from 30 yards out into the corner of the net, but the goal was disallowed. Not to be discouraged, Messi scored just a few minutes later, driving a powerful 20-yard shot into the net from a Luis Suarez pass.
In the 61st minute, Messi turned provider, setting up Noah Allen with a well-timed pass. Allen’s chip into the box floated over midfielder Federico Redondo and into the net, putting the Herons ahead 2-1.
However, Miami’s celebrations were tempered when another goal was ruled offside in the 67th minute due to an infraction by Suarez.
To seal the victory, Messi converted a penalty kick in the 84th minute after LAFC’s Marlon Santos committed a handball during a corner. Messi confidently placed the shot into the right side of the goal, bringing the final score to 3-1.
Looking ahead, the Herons will face the Chicago Fire for an MLS matchup at 4:30 p.m. EDT on Sunday in Chicago. Later this month, they will meet the Vancouver Whitecaps in the Championship Cup semifinals, with the victor preparing for a showdown against either Tigres or Cruz Azul in the finale on June 1.
