Lionel Messi goals fire Inter Miami into Leagues Cup final
The captain stood up to be counted on Wednesday evening, turning the game around for the Herons to secure a dramatic win.
When the pressure is at the highest, Lionel Messi always seems to find a way. In Wednesday’s Leagues Cup semi-final Orlando City appeared to have control of the match, but in the final 15 minutes the Inter Miami No. 10 took charge and fired his team into the final.
Miami entered determined to reverse the momentum against their cross-state rivals. Head coach Javier Mascherano surprised many by pushing Jordi Alba into a more central defensive role to blunt Orlando’s attacking trio of Martín Ojeda, Iván Pasalic and Luis Muriel. For stretches, the strategy worked.
Still, Orlando found chances. Iván Angulo squandered the clearest opportunity of the first half in the 23rd minute, sending his shot over the bar when a goal looked certain. Moments later, Miami defender Maximiliano Falcón mis-hit a clearance straight to Pasalic. The Croatian made no mistake this time, drilling a powerful strike past Óscar Ustari to give Orlando a deserved lead.
With his side trailing, Mascherano turned to Tadeo Allende from the bench, and the change quickly paid off. Allende drew a foul from David Brekalo inside the box, leading to a red card and a penalty. Messi stepped up and coolly converted to level the score in the 75th minute, with Miami now enjoying a man advantage.
From there, the stage belonged to Messi. In the 88th minute, he exchanged a sharp one-two with Jordi Alba in the box and fired home his second of the night to ignite wild celebrations at Chase Stadium. Orlando, down to 10 men, had no answer.
In stoppage time, Messi turned provider, linking up with Venezuelan substitute Telasco Segovia, who added Miami’s third to seal the win.
Once again, Messi delivered when it mattered most—reminding the soccer world that even at 38, his ability to decide matches remains unmatched.
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