Messi leads Inter Miami to CONCACAF semifinals
The Argentinian superstar scored two goals for his club team, Inter Miami, that helped it qualify for the first time for the semifinals of the CONCACAF Champions Cup, the equivalent of the Champions League in Europe.
After losing the first leg 0-1, Inter Miami found themselves trailing from the 9th minute in the second leg played at home. Aaron Long scored for FC Los Angeles. However, Lionel Messi then stepped up, equalizing in the 35th minute.
After halftime, Inter Miami scored their second goal, with Messi involved once again. Noah Allen scored in the 61st minute from the Argentinian's assist, and the Florida team thus leveled the aggregate score. In the 84th minute, Messi scored the winning goal from a penalty kick.
"Lionel Messi is the heart of this team. There's no doubt about it. Sometimes I feel a little uncomfortable talking about him because we've been friends for 20 years, and now it's my turn to help him at this stage of his career. He's a guy who has already achieved everything in football. Even so, he will always want to win until his last playing day and will do impossible things to win," said Javier Mascherano, Inter Miami coach.
Inter Miami has also learned its next opponent in the semifinals: the Canadian team Vancouver Whitecaps.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
