MIAMI.- Inter Miami is in the round of 16 of the Leagues Cup after beating Orlando City 3-1 this Wednesday in the Florida derby with another great game from Leo Messi, author of two goals.
The Venezuelan Josef Martínez and Jordi Alba were the other two protagonists; the first for completing the scoring with a penalty goal and the second for making his debut with his new shirt starting from the bench.
Inter Miami will play its first game away from home next Sunday since the arrival of Messi. It will do so in Frisco (Texas) against Dallas, which eliminated Mazatlán this Wednesday.
Orlando was hard in the center of the field, focused on Leo Messi but also with other objectives. The Uruguayan César Araujo ‘welcomed’ Sergi Busquets very early, leaving him the studs.
It was a matter of time before the first one arrived and it happened in the sixth minute, a great collective action by the locals was embroidered by Robert Taylor with a magnificent pass over the Orlando defense, finding Messi, who accommodated it with his chest and put it in with his left-handed between the three sticks.
It was Messi’s fifth goal in his short career in Miami and confirmation that his chemistry with Taylor continues to grow. Between them they have already made three goals, two of them with assistance from the Finn.
Orlando’s first clear was by Duncan McGuire in the fourteenth, he faced Drake Callender on the left side and sent it wide. It was an announcement that continued only two minutes later.
The Colombian Iván Angulo unbalanced inside the area by the left-handed sector and shot on goal due to the great reaction of Callender. The rejection fell into Araujo’s boots and the Uruguayan did not forgive, he put the tie in the light.
The game changed, it was even physically, and the main loser was Messi who saw the first yellow card with his new club for a kick from behind to Wilder Cartagena.
The ‘oops’ from the stands was heard again in minute 31. Messi received it inside the area, this time it was served by Josef Martínez. The Argentine wanted to adjust it so much that it escaped from the stick.
What could not be achieved with play was about to arrive at set pieces. Antonio Carlos fouled Josef Martínez on the edge of the area, exactly at the same point where Messi scored his first goal in his debut, the Inter Miami captain put it well but Gallese stretched to break it.
Orlando maintained the same idea of being tough in midfield, making Messi very angry at times, and the Argentine achieved just before the break what he insistently sought, for one of his rivals to see a yellow card, Kyle Smith was the first.
Two minutes after the restart came the controversy, a contact between Antonio Carlos and Josef Martínez ended with the Venezuelan on the ground inside the area and the referee did not hesitate, Iván Cisneros awarded a penalty despite the protests of the Orlando players.
Josef Martínez asked the captain for it and he did not oppose. It was reciprocated because the Venezuelan did not miss from eleven meters, he beat Gallese on his right. Five games later he found a goal again, it is his first goal in the Messi era.
Pereyra’s clash with Messi left the Argentine concussed on the ground, he was treated for a few minutes with pain in his jaw, but was able to continue while the Uruguayan saw the yellow card.
Jordi Alba’s debut came in the 63rd minute, who had already received the love of his new fans before the game when he was introduced on the pitch by the Mas brothers and David Beckham. The left-back entered the field with another rookie, the 20-year-old Paraguayan, Diego Gómez.
The sentence came in minute 72. Josef Martínez gave it to Messi so that he only had to push it. The play was born once again in Taylor’s boots on the left side.
Messi is momentarily the top scorer in the Leagues Cup with five goals in three games tied with his compatriot Germán Berterame, who will play again this Friday with Rayados de Monterrey.
Inter Miami’s next rival will be FC Dallas and the match will be played at Toyota Stadium in Frisco.
- Inter Miami: Callender; Yedlin, Kryvtsov, Miller, Allen (Alba, m.64); Busquets, Arroyo (Ruiz, m.82), Cremaschi (Gómez, m.64); Messi, Martínez (Campana, m.82) and Taylor (Ulloa, m.89).
- Orlando City: Gallese; Smith (Thórhallsson, m.60), Antonio Carlos, Jansson, Santos; Araújo, Cartagena (Martins, m.80); Torres, Pereyra (Ojeda, m. 65), Angulo (Kara, m.80); McGuire (Henry, m.60).
Goals: 1-0, m.7: Leo Messi. 1-1, m.17: César Araujo. 2-1, m.51: Josef Martínez from a penalty. 3-1, m.72: Leo Messi.
Referee: Iván Cisneros (El Salvador). He showed yellow cards to Leo Messi (m. 21) and Diego Gómez (m. 66) for the locals and to Kyle Smith (m. 47), McGuire (m. 49), Antonio Carlos (m. 49), Mauricio Pereyra (m. . 57) and Gallese (m.97), by the visitors.
