Messi won his first championship with Inter Miami

Updated date: 08/20/2023 16:22:51

Messi and his Inter Miami teammates won the Leagues Cup after defeating Nashville in the final.

Messi scores in Leagues Cup final

Inter Miami take on Nashville in the Leagues Cup final. Messi's fans will get their wish when they see their idol win the title with his new team.

The two teams played cautiously after the opening whistle. Both sides mainly passed the ball back and forth in the midfield area. Every time the ball reached the final third of the field, the two teams' defenses put a lot of pressure, disrupting the attacks. It was not until the 18th minute that the first shot of the match appeared, and it was a header by a Nashville player.

In that dull match, the star class spoke up. In the 24th minute, Messi got the ball in front of the Nashville penalty area. He dribbled past an opponent before beautifully curling the ball to open the score. This was Messi's 10th goal since playing for the American team.

After conceding the goal, Nashville put a lot of pressure on Inter Miami's half. They intentionally fed the ball into the position of Jordi Alba - a defender who is good at attacking but has limited physicality. However, the first half ended without any more goals.

In the second half, Nashville equalized after many attempts at attack. In the 57th minute, Fafa Picault's header was cleared by an Inter Miami defender. But goalkeeper Drake Callender accidentally put the ball into his own net while turning his back.

The equalizer helped Nashville play with excitement. However, strikers like Hany Mukhtar and Sam Surridge could not take advantage of the opportunities. Meanwhile, Inter Miami only relied on Messi's talent. The most notable situation of the Argentine superstar was the shot that hit the post in the 70th minute.

The match had to be decided on penalties. Messi successfully completed his mission and Inter Miami won dramatically 10-9.

The David Beckham-owned team won a championship for the first time. In addition, as one of the top three teams in the Leagues Cup, Inter Miami qualified for the Concacaf Champions Cup for the first time. This is Inter Miami's biggest success since its establishment in 2018.

Before recruiting Messi, this team was in the first stage of construction and was only considered a weak team in the US Major League Soccer (MLS), having never participated in the continental arena.

Since Messi joined Inter Miami, he has not gone a game without scoring. The Argentine superstar has found the back of the net in eight consecutive matches.

Result: Inter Miami 1-1 Nashville (penalty: 10-9)

Scorers: Messi (24'), Drake Callender (57', own goal)

According to VAN HAI (VTC News)

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