Lionel Messi is not in the team. The opposing team is making good use of that opportunity. This time, Monterrey beat Inter Miami 2-1 in the first leg of the CONCACAF quarter-finals. As a result, Messi’s team has fallen behind in the race for the semi-finals.
Messi missed Miami’s 4 consecutive matches with today’s Wednesday match. The Argentina World Cup-winning star is out of the squad due to a hamstring injury.
Messi has been out of action since March 13. In between, the 8-time Ballon d’Or star footballer could not play Argentina’s two friendly matches against El Salvador and Costa Rica.
Luis Suarez, another Miami star, was in the XI without Messi. The Uruguay star scored a goal in the previous match. Even if he scored, he could not win the team. And Suarez did not get a goal in this match.
Miami got off to a good start today. They took the lead in 19 minutes. Miami went into the break with a lead in the first half.
However, playing in the second half burned their foreheads. Miami became a team of 10 when David Ruiz saw a red card in the 65th minute. Monterey did not miss this opportunity. They secured the victory by scoring two goals and took a step towards the semis.
Monterey scored the first goal in the 69th minute. And scored the second goal in the very last moment of the match, in the 89th minute. As a result, Miami ended the first leg losing 2-1.
MH/ASM
#loss #Messi #Miami #race #semis