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Messi and Suarez scored in Miami’s 3-1 victory, but the Argentine was substituted after suffering an injury that will keep him out of Miami’s next MLS match.
Lionel Messi scored a goal and provided an assist before leaving the field due to a leg injury as Inter Miami beat Nashville 3-1 in the second leg of their CONCACAF Champions Cup round of 16 match. .
Messi found his former Barcelona teammate Luis Suárez calmly to score a goal that opened the scoring in the eighth minute. The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner added a first-half goal to give Inter Miami an early 2-0 lead on Wednesday night.
The Argentine great was substituted in the 50th minute and coach Gerardo “Tata” Martino later revealed that Messi was dealing with a minor leg injury that began to bother him during the match, so he was removed as a precaution.
“He’s overloaded in the right back,” Martino said through a translator. “We tried to see if it could go further [in the game]”But it bothered him so we preferred him to leave the game.”
Messi had rested during Sunday’s 3-2 loss to Montreal, which is the only game he has missed this season.
Martino said Messi will likely miss the Major League Soccer (MLS) team’s match on Saturday against DC United.
“I don’t want to take the risk,” Martino said.
Messi was replaced on Wednesday by Robert Taylor, who scored in the 63rd minute to give Inter Miami a 3-0 lead.
Inter Miami advanced to the quarterfinals of the CONCACAF Champions Cup with the victory and a 5-3 advantage in goals added in the total goals series.
The chase for the cup continues 🏆⏳#MIAvNSH pic.twitter.com/7l1hV3XiA7
— Inter Miami CF (@InterMiamiCF) March 14, 2024
‘No one can do what he can do’
Messi had an instant impact on the game.
He earned a free kick after a foul by Nashville’s Aníbal Godoy just four minutes into the game, but his attempt was blocked. The 36-year-old pounced on his chance a few minutes later, using his impressive vision to make a pass to Suarez, who sent the ball into the bottom right corner of the net.
Messi then took advantage of a pass from Diego Gómez to score from inside the penalty area as fans began chanting his name. Later, Taylor got on the board with a header after an assist from Suarez.
“Lionel Messi himself was very, very sharp in the first 15 minutes,” Nashville coach Gary Smith said after the game. He was then asked what he thought when he saw Messi jog off the field early in the second half.
“First of all, thank God,” Smith said jokingly. “He is a great influence on the rest of the group. Yes, they have other very good players, but there is no one who can do what he can do. … Delighted to see him go, I honestly thought his performance went down and that gave us a little incentive.”
Inter Miami is currently in the midst of a busy month that includes seven matches, four of which occurred within a 10-day span. Messi is expected to join the Argentine team in a pair of warm-up matches for the Copa América on March 22 and 26.
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