Fort Lauderdale, Florida – Below 1-0 on the scoreboard, below 2-0 in total goals in the series and that need three goals to advance, Inter Miami needed a very unlikely rally.
Lionel Messi made it possible.
Inter Miami goes to the semifinals of the Concacaf Champions Cup for the first time, after Messi, the eight -time winner of Ballon D’Or, led a dramatic return of three goals. He had two goals and an assistance, including the penalty of La Mancha in the 84th minute, to raise Inter Miami to Lafc 3-1 on Wednesday night and an aggregate victory of 3-2 in the two-legged series.
“We gave everything,” said Inter Miami coach Javier Mascherano. “We wanted it, we wanted to be in the semifinals, and I think it was shown … Many times luck has to be on your side, and we had it.”
Maybe it was luck. Maybe it was Messi. Maybe they were both.
For Messi, the decisive factor of the series remembered a bit how he led Argentina beyond France in the World Cup final in 2022. He obtained two goals in that game, one in a criminal shot, then became the penalty shooting that decided the final after he ended in a 3-3 draw. These objectives occurred against Hugo Lloris of France, who was also on the network for LAFC on Wednesday night.
Lloris could not solve Messi in the World Cup final, and could not in this one. Messi simply waited for Lloris To move a little about the penalty that put Inter Miami 3-1, essentially freezing the guardian before gently sending the ball to the right side of the network.
And when the final whistle rang, Mascherano hit the air in celebration.
“They believed,” said Mascherano.
Oscar Ustari made two large stops in the last minutes for Inter Miami, who will face the Mexican Club Pumas or the Vancouver Whitecaps in the tournament semifinals. The first section of that two -legged confrontation will begin on April 22, 23 or 24.
Aaron scored for a long time in the ninth minute To give LAFC a 1-0 advantage, but put Inter Miami in a hole much deeper than that. Inter Miami lost the first series of the series in Lafc 1-0, so Long’s goal not only gave LaFC an aggregate advantage of 2-0, but also gave him control of his club of the tiebreaker of the objectives.
That meant that Inter Miami needed at least three goals from there to move forward. It could have seemed unlikely.
With Messi, all things are possible.
Messi began the rally in 35, letting go near the top of the 18 -yard box and scoring with the left foot To tie the game in 1, giving Inter Miami some hope.
Noah Allen gave Inter Miami a 2-1 advantage in the 61st, Messi receiving assistance, with a little chance; He scaled a ball in the box, playing towards Federico Redondo. Lloris came out of his line, anticipating that Redondo played the ball, but bounced in the grass, went beyond both and ended on the side of the network.
That knotted the aggregate in 2-2, but LaFC still contained the goal tiebreaker. And in 67, Inter Miami thought that he grabbed the front in the series when Messi played a ball in the box that Luis Suarez seemed to move on the network in a header, But the flag appeared offside Removing the board’s goal.
Inter Miami maintained the pressure at all times, then successfully argued a handball call that Messi became an advantage of 3-1 and a place in the semifinals. It was its 42nd objective in 48 appearances in all competitions since Inter Miami joined.
“This is the way,” said Mascherano. “This is the way of playing football … they gave everything. I’m very happy.”
