"Messi finished the game very well. No injuries. He just felt a little tired towards the end of the match, but everything is generally fine," Inter Miami coach Tata Martino reassured fans of the 36-year-old Argentinian star in the post-match press conference.
Messi was all smiles at the end of the match.
A close-up of the moment Messi (in pink shirt) was kicked directly in the left shin by defender MacNaughton.
Messi was subjected to an extremely dangerous tackle by Nashville SC defender MacNaughton in the 78th minute of the match. In an attempt to clear the ball, MacNaughton kicked Messi directly in the shin of his left leg, as Messi was also trying to prevent the opponent from clearing the ball. The incident caused everyone watching to fear that the Argentinian star might have broken his leg.
"Luckily for Messi, the force of MacNaughton's kick wasn't strong enough to break his leg. This was a terrifying situation; just a split second of carelessness or bad luck could have ended Messi's career prematurely," emphasized Marca (Spain).
Following a seemingly malicious foul by the opponent, Messi repeatedly protested to the Mexican referee, Marco Antonio Ortiz Nava, but MacNaughton received no card, which raised many questions among fans.
"It's unbelievable, this was a situation that could have ended the career of one of the greatest players in football history. Yet, the referee didn't issue any cards to the Nashville SC player. Not just this incident, but many times during the match, Nashville SC players deliberately tried to break Messi's magical left leg to prevent scoring opportunities. Luckily, Messi survived without any serious injury," a user on social media platform X (formerly Twitter) expressed.
Despite the aggressive tackles from the opposition, Messi still managed to score a beautiful goal to reduce the deficit for Inter Miami before Suarez equalized 2-2 in injury time.
The aggressive and relentless style of play from the Nashville SC players stifled Messi and his teammates throughout the first half. Inter Miami even fell behind 2-0 with a brace from Jacob Shaffelburg in the 4th and 46th minutes. However, in this difficult situation, Messi and his close friend Suarez worked hard to score two goals to equalize the score at 2-2 for their team.
These goals have helped Messi and Suarez now score a combined total of 7 goals and provide 5 assists for Inter Miami after just 4 matches in the 2024 season. Messi has scored 4 goals and provided 1 assist, while Suarez has scored 3 goals and provided 4 assists. The partnership of the duo, who were once famous at Barcelona, is once again proving extremely effective as they play together at Inter Miami in the final stages of their careers.
Messi (right) and Suarez continue to shine in the Inter Miami jersey.
Inter Miami's 2-2 draw against Nashville SC in the first leg of the CONCACAF Champions Cup round of 16 gives them a significant advantage in securing a place in the quarter-finals. They only need a 0-0 or 1-1 draw in the second leg at home on March 14th at 7:15 AM. The CONCACAF Champions Cup still uses the away goals rule in the knockout rounds. Before this match, Messi and his teammates will play their fourth MLS game against CF Montreal at 4:00 AM on March 11th, also at home.
If Messi and Inter Miami win the CONCACAF Champions Cup, they will qualify for the FIFA Club World Cup in 2025.
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