Messi and Inter Miami lost 1-0 in the first leg of the quarter final

Lionel Messi and Co suffered their first defeat under new boss Javier Mascherano as the men in pink found it difficult to overcome a blering strike from 21-year-old Nathan Ordaz in the early minutes of the second half. The goal-scorer nearly got sent off in the first half for a heated scuffle with Maxi Falcón, following which the match official let him off the hook with a yellow. Reacting to the same, LA head coach Steve Cherundolo said, “I applaud the decision not to send guys off the field, and I would say the same thing if it was the reverse.”
Despite suffering from an adductor injury in recent games, which also saw the Argentine miss out on World Cup qualifiers last month, Messi played the whole 90 minutes on Thursday. The World Cup winner however, was restricted to three free-kicks, of which two failed to hit the target.
Big names like NBA star Stephen Curry and Jimmy Butler were in attendance for the clash as Messi found it difficult to wriggle his way past the LA defense on several occasions, constantly lingering on his tail.“I think (Messi) always had a black jersey in front of him, and that’s the point,” LAFC coach Steve Cherundolo said after the win.
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“It was a game that we expected. Obviously, we didn’t have the best night tonight, but in the end, it’s the first leg,” said Miami boss Mascherano as he set his sights on the second leg scheduled for the 9th of this month. Fort Lauderdale will be the venue as two sides will go again for a spot in the semi-final.
Miami’s Argentine boss also said that his side has what it takes to go through. The winner on aggregate next Wednesday will face the winners of MLS’ Vancouver Whitecaps or Liga MX’s Pumas.
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