Apr 10, 2025 09:50 AM IST
Lionel Messi produced a masterclass to steer Inter Miami to their first CONCACAF Champions Cup semi-finals on Wednesday.
Inter Miami looked doomed down two goals in the CONCACAF Champions Cup tie against LAFC, staring at elimination. But then Lionel Messi decided it was time to turn the script. With two goals and an assist – including a decisive penalty – the Argentine maestro led Inter Miami to a stunning 3-1 victory on Wednesday night, sealing a 3-2 aggregate win and a place in the semifinals for the first time in club history.
Perhaps it was luck. But mostly, it was Messi.
In a poetic echo of the 2022 FIFA World Cup final, Messi once again faced Hugo Lloris from the penalty spot — and once again, the outcome was the same. Just like in Lusail, Messi outwitted the French goalkeeper with icy calm. He waited, watched Lloris shift, and gently rolled the ball into the opposite corner to make it 3-1 in the 84th minute. Lloris had been left frozen — again — in a Messi flashback he wouldn’t have wanted.
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The drama had started much earlier. With LAFC leading 2-0 on aggregate and holding the away-goals advantage, Messi gave Inter Miami a glimmer of hope in the 35th minute. Picking up the ball just outside the box, he fired home a vintage left-footed strike to level the match and get the crowd believing.
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The belief deepened in the 61st when Noah Allen made it 2-1, capitalizing on a bizarre defensive mix-up. Messi had picked out Federico Redondo with a clever ball into the box, but a misread from Lloris let the ball bounce into the side-netting untouched.
A potential third goal was chalked off for offside when Luis Suárez headed in off a Messi delivery, but Miami kept pushing. Their breakthrough came via a VAR-reviewed handball, setting up Messi’s cold-blooded penalty.
“We gave it our all,” Inter Miami coach Javier Mascherano said. “We wanted it, we wanted to be in the semis, and I think it showed. … Many times luck has to be on your side, and we had it.”
Inter Miami will now face either Mexican side Pumas or the Vancouver Whitecaps in the semifinals later this month. But for now, it’s Messi’s night – another big stage, and another comeback.
