Lionel Messi Moves Inter Miami Past Philadelphia Union, Reach Leagues Cup Final
LAGOS AUGUST 16TH (NEWSRANGERS)-It was supposed to be the toughest test yet for Lionel Messi and Inter Miami.
And they aced it with flying colors.
Josef Martinez scored three minutes into the match. Messi scored a long goal off his left foot in the 20th minute. Jordi Alba scored just before halftime. And David Ruiz, 19, scored in the 84th minute to lead Inter Miami to a 4-1 win over the Philadelphia Union on Tuesday night in their Leagues Cup semifinal match.
Inter Miami advances to Saturday’s Leagues Cup final against Nashville SC.
Inter Miami also qualifies for a berth in the 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup – a tournament it has never played in since becoming a team in 2020.
“We have to be happy and enjoy the moment,” Martinez said of Inter Miami reaching the Leagues Cup final during a postgame interview on Apple TV.
How difficult was this challenge supposed to be for Miami? Philly lost just one match in its last 41 contests on its home pitch at Subaru Park in Chester, Pennsylvania, before Tuesday’s game.
That was before Messi, the World Cup winner from Argentina and seven-time Ballon D’Or winner, and his new MLS team arrived.
The opening goal by Martinez was “preventable and deflating,” Philadelphia Union coach Jim Curtin said. The goal marked the fifth time Inter Miami scored within 15 minutes, and the fourth time they scored inside eight minutes during Leagues Cup play. It also set the tone for a bad night at the office for the Union.
“It was a humbling game,” Curtin said. “They’re really good.”
With one more victory, Inter Miami will be hoisting a Leagues Cup trophy.
“It’s a big chance for us, for the team, for the ball club – the first final,” Martinez said. “We have to fight for that. We’re happy.”
When does Lionel Messi play next?
Messi will presumably take the pitch again on Saturday, when Inter Miami plays Nashville SC in the Leagues Cup final.
USA TODAY
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Posted by News Rangers
on Aug 16 2023. Filed under National, Sports.
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