Messi injured after being hit hard by 4 defenders, De Paul rescued Inter Miami

On the morning of August 3 (Vietnam time), Messi had to leave the field early due to injury, but Inter Miami still had midfielder De Paul to turn the situation around when they tied with Necaxa (Mexico) 2-2 and won in the penalty shootout 5-4 at the Leagues Cup.

Messi tried to dribble past 4 opposing defenders

The situation where Messi had to leave the field early due to injury happened in the 10th minute of the match, when the 38-year-old Argentine player tried to dribble past 4 opposing defenders who were closely marking him.

However, his efforts were unsuccessful when he was fiercely blocked by his opponents and collided with them, causing him to fall to the ground, clutching his right leg. Medical staff came in to check, but then coach Mascherano decided to take Messi off to rest and put midfielder Federico Redondo in his place.

Messi surrounded by Necaxa players before being injured

Photo: Reuters

This is considered a decision to prevent a more serious situation that could happen to Messi if he continued to play. When leaving the field, Messi went straight to the locker room to check on his injury. According to sources from the American press, Messi suffered a sore hamstring and bruises on his thigh due to the collision. But we have to wait for specific tests to know if it is a serious injury, a severe muscle tear, or just a minor injury.

Messi just returned to play in the 2-1 win over Atlas Club (Mexico) on July 31st at the Leagues Cup and contributed 2 assists, after being banned for 1 match before. Before being banned for 1 match, Messi played 5 consecutive matches in just 15 days.

After Messi left the pitch, midfielder De Paul took on all the responsibilities in Inter Miami's midfield, including having to play in a very mobile position as a defensive midfielder supporting Busquets, a central midfielder with Federico Redondo, a number 10 supporting striker Suarez and also a left winger - all at the same time.

De Paul himself immediately made his mark with an assist for Telasco Segovia to open the score 1-0 for Inter Miami in the 12th minute. But the difficult situation surrounded Inter Miami just 5 minutes later when center-back Maximiliano Falcon received a straight red card and had to play with one less player. At the end of the first half, the away team Necaxa took advantage of the opportunity to find an equalizer 1-1 in the 33rd minute thanks to Tomas Badaloni.

De Paul (center) was able to rescue Inter Miami when his senior Messi had to leave the field early due to injury.

Photo: Reuters

In the second half, the situation became balanced when Necaxa also played with one less player because player Cristian Calderon received a second yellow card and left the field in the 60th minute. However, the away team took better advantage of the opportunities to take the lead again, 2-1 in the 81st minute thanks to player Ricardo Monreal scoring.

It wasn't until the extra minutes, thanks to De Paul's tireless efforts, that Inter Miami regained hope when he had the second assist of the match for Jordi Alba to score the equalizer 2-2 in the 90+2 minute.

After a draw after 90 minutes of regulation time, the two teams entered a penalty shootout to determine the winner. De Paul once again, along with Suarez, Jordi Alba, Federico Redondo and Benjamin Cremaschi, accurately executed the 11m kicks to help Inter Miami beat Necaxa with a final score of 5-4.

With this result, Inter Miami was awarded 2 points, for a total of 5 points after 2 matches, including 1 win in 90 minutes (3 points) and 1 draw (penalty win) for 2 points, temporarily ranking first in the table of MLS (USA) clubs.

In the final match of the group stage, Inter Miami will meet UNAM Club (also from Mexico) at 6:30 a.m. on August 7. If they continue to win, Messi and his teammates will secure one of the four spots in the League Cup quarterfinals.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/messi-dinh-chan-thuong-vi-bi-4-hau-ve-va-cham-manh-de-paul-giai-cuu-inter-miami-185250803090103818.htm