Lionel Messi shone with a brace of assists, Inter Miami secured a convincing 3-1 win over LAFC at the home of the defending MLS champions.
Inter Miami won 3–1 against LAFC. (Photo: Reuters)
LAFC’s trip is considered a measure of Inter Miami’s bravery, when Lionel Messi and his teammates face the reigning champions of the American Soccer League (MLS).
To the cheers of the home crowd, LAFC entered the race in full swing. However, Inter Miami got the opening goal in the 14th minute after a somewhat fortunate situation.
Facundo Farias lost his balance as he chased Tomas Aviles’ slot but still managed to finish from a seemingly non-dangerous angle. However, the ball suddenly crossed the reach of goalkeeper John McCarthy and into the LAFC net.
After the goal, LAFC kept putting pressure on the Inter Miami defense and created pretty clear chances. Unfortunately, Carlos Vela and his teammates were unlucky in front of the visitors’ goal.
Messi shone with a brace of assists against the reigning MLS champions. (Photo: Reuters)
In a tense game, Lionel Messi always makes a difference every time he touches the ball. The Argentine superstar almost doubled the gap for Inter Miami in the 38th minute, when he combined beautifully with Diego Gomez to escape the encirclement of 8 LAFC players but failed to beat goalkeeper John McCarthy in the face-off.
In the second half, Lionel Messi’s class helped Inter Miami score 2 more goals to sink LAFC. The Argentine superstar provided a brace of assists for Jordi Alba and Leonardo Campana.
In the 51st minute, Lionel Messi calmly kept the ball in view and then sent a slot pass for Jordi Alba to double the difference. In the 83rd minute, Lionel Messi punished a mistake by the LAFC defense and cleared Leonardo Campana for a close-range finish, making it 3-0.
LAFC’s efforts in this match only resulted in an honorable goal in the 90th minute. Ryan Hollingshead headed wide of the Inter Miami net after Carlos Vela’s corner kick.
In the end, Inter Miami won 3–1 against LAFC. However, the poor form of the pink shirts before signing Lionel Messi left them only penultimate in the eastern MLS standings with 25 points. Meanwhile, LAFC is No. 3 on the MLS western standings with 40 points.
