Fort Lauderdale, Florida Wednesday night, Lionel Messi continued to be sidelined due to a hamstring injury. His Inter Miami squad led Mexico’s Monterrey by one goal at the break, but lost 2-1 in the second half of their CONCACAF Champions Cup semifinal first leg.
Without Messi Inter Miami loses the Champions:
Due to a right hamstring injury, Messi hasn’t played since March 13 and missed Argentina’s friendly matches against Costa Rica and El Salvador last month. This was his fourth consecutive game missed due to the ailment.
When the 36-year-old Messi will return is still unknown. The second leg of the quarterfinal between Inter Miami and Monterrey is set to take place in Mexico on April 10. On Saturday, Inter Miami will take on Colorado in an MLS game.
He’s feeling better every day. After the game, Inter Miami coach Gerardo “Tata” Martino stated through an interpreter, “It would have been too much of a risk today.” Messi will remain game-to-game, he continued.
In the nineteenth minute, Tomas Avilés scored Miami’s lone goal after a corner kick awarded by Julian Gressel. The 19-year-old Avilés’ goal came during a strong first-half defensive effort that kept Monterrey at bay. It was his first of the season.
However, Inter Miami collapsed after David Ruíz was dismissed for needless contact in the 65th minute and given a second yellow card. Miami was down a man for the last twenty-five minutes of the game.
Less than five minutes later, Maximiliano Meza scored a goal for Monterrey, taking advantage of a corner kick by Sergio Canales and shooting past Callender on his second attempt.
First of all, we lacked the stamina to finish the final 20 minutes, remarked Martino. A team like Monterrey requires its players to be in excellent physical condition. Although we weren’t as dominant as I had anticipated, there were still times during the game when it looked like we would be dominated. However, having to play the final 20 minutes without a player proved an issue.
Callender recorded seven saves, compared to Esteban Andrada of Monterrey’s one.
In the 36th minute, Robert Taylor of Miami went down and grabbed his leg in anguish before leaving with an injury.
CF Monterrey, the heavyweights of Liga MX, defeated Inter Miami CF 2-1 on Wednesday night at Chase Stadium to take a lead in their Concacaf Champions Cup quarterfinal series.
Tomás Avilés gave Inter Miami the lead in the 19th minute. Inter Miami was without Lionel Messi for the fourth straight game in all competitions due to a hamstring injury. The center back gave the home team the lead at 1-0 after deflecting Julian Gressel’s corner kick home.
Nevertheless, Inter Miami midfielder David Ruiz’s red card for his second bookable infraction in as many minutes in the 65th minute completely changed the course of the game. He will therefore miss Leg 2 at Estadio BBVA in Monterrey on April 10, which will determine who advances to the CCC semifinals and faces the winner of the Herediano-Pachuca series.
A corner kick in the 69th minute gave Monterrey a man advantage, and Maxi Meza finished off Drake Callender’s reaction save at the back post to tie the score at one. And after Inter Miami failed to clear their lines in the 89th minute, midfielder Jorge Rodríguez curled home a world-class winner.
Winger Robert Taylor departed the game in the 37th minute due to what appeared to be discomfort in his left hamstring, adding to Inter Miami’s already extensive list of injury problems.
Goals: 1) 19′ – Maxi Meza – MIA
2) 69′ – MTY
3) 89′ – Jorge Rodríguez – MTY
First of all, we lacked the stamina to finish the final 20 minutes, remarked Martino. A team like Monterrey requires its players to be in excellent physical condition. Although we weren’t as dominant as I had anticipated, there were still times during the game when it looked like we would be dominated. However, having to play the final 20 minutes without a player proved an issue. Callender got seven saves, Esteban Andrada of Monterrey had one.
In the 36th minute, Robert Taylor of Miami went down and grabbed his leg in anguish before leaving with an injury.
Three Items:
THE BIG PICTURE: Rayados gained a decisive advantage after Ruiz was sent off, keeping Inter Miami in charge. The crucial query is this, though: Is Messi going to be well enough to play in Leg 2 in Mexico the following week? Inter Miami’s hopes, contingent on a number of factors including the Argentine superstar’s availability, may rest on their ability to score at least two goals away. If not, Tata Martino, the head coach, has made it clear that an early withdrawal from the competition is necessary.
MOMENT OF THE MATCH: Ruiz has a low point in a match of this magnitude when he sees red. How will the 20-year-old Honduran international and local player recover?
David Ruiz gets dismissed. Miami has 10 men left — FOX Sports (@FOXSoccer), April 4, 2024
STAR OF THE GAME: Meza initiated the comeback with 1 goal and 1 assist, laying the groundwork for Rodríguez’s golazo. AWESOME MONTERREY! — April 4, 2024, FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer)
Next Up: MLS Season Pass at 7:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, April 6 against. Colorado Rapids; MLS regular season matchup at Cruz Azul on April 6 at 11 p.m. ET on Liga MX Clausura.
In the Champions Cup, Inter Miami falls 2-1 to Monterrey as Messi sits and the team concedes two late goals. On Wednesday, April 3, 2024, at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Inter Miami midfielder Sergio Busquets (5) faces Monterrey midfielder Sergio Canales (10) in the first half of a CONCACAF Champions Cup quarterfinal soccer match.
On Wednesday night, Inter Miami faced its most difficult test of the season without Lionel Messi. Although they appeared to be the stronger team for 68 minutes, they lost 2-1 in the home leg of the Champions Cup quarterfinal against Mexican power Monterrey. After an unnecessary foul in the 65th minute, Miami midfielder David Ruiz was sent off with a second yellow card, setting up Monterrey’s two goals.
The game-winning goal was scored by Jorge Rodriguez in the 89th minute following a careless ball by Miami player Diego Gomez that was intercepted just outside the area. Maximiliano Meza had scored the equalizer for the visiting Mexican team in the 69th minute.
Check out the Miami Herald’s article on Inter-Miami’s MLS (2873-28285) for more information:
Messi dressed shabbily for the widely reported match, which made headlines throughout Mexico. The lead-up to the game at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale was broadcast live throughout the day by Mexican radio and television presenters.
When Monterrey scored its second goal, a large group of supporters wearing blue and white striped jerseys cheered for Los Rayados, also known as The Striped Ones. The fans screamed, “Messi Tuvo Miedo!” (Messi was terrified!) Since sustaining a hamstring issue in the previous Champions Cup round against Nashville on March 13, Messi has missed four straight games. He was also absent from the CF Montreal game on March 10.
For that game, Tata Martino, the coach, rested a handful of his starting players. Martino had stated on Tuesday that Messi’s status for the Monterrey match would be determined on game day. This season, the squad has lost three of its four games without him while going winless in his five games.
CASINO CONTENT After the game, Martino stated, “We had said Leo will be day to day, and he was not ready to play today; it would have been too much of a risk.” He is getting better every day, so we’ll reassess him for Saturday’s game against Colorado and Wednesday’s return leg versus Monterrey the following week.
The teams rematch on April 10 at 10:30 p.m. in Monterrey. Away goals will be used as a tiebreaker if the teams’ combined score after two games is tied. In the semifinals, the victor of this round will face the winner of Columbus Crew vs. Tigres of Mexico. In addition to receiving $5 million in prize money, the victor of the June 2 final advances to the United States for the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup. Even though his side lost, Martino thought they performed well.
Martino remarked, “I thought we did well for seventy minutes.” “I felt that the first half should have seen us score two goals. When you play a good opponent and (Hector) Moreno is substituted by a Chilean national team player and guys from the Mexican national team come off the bench, you have to be really alert, extremely disciplined, and not make any mistakes.
While we hadn’t made any mistakes during the play, we did make a regrettable move. I thought our competition was good considering Monterrey had a full squad while we were missing important players. In the 19th minute, center defender Tomas Aviles gave Miami the lead with a right-footed volley to the goal’s roof following a corner kick from Julian Gessel. For the remainder of the half, the men in pink applied pressure to the Monterrey midfield, and they led the game going into halftime.
Coach Fernando Ortiz of Monterrey stated, “We faced a great opponent, a team that did a very good job in the first 90 minutes.” “I am fortunate to have excellent players on the team who understood their responsibilities following Ruiz’s expulsion.” According to Ortiz, his squad anticipates playing Messi on Saturday. “I have stated and will reiterate that he is the greatest player of all time; we were hoping he would play,” Ortiz remarked. He’s not able to be here. With any luck, he’ll be present for the return leg so we can enjoy him and finish the task at hand to move on to the next round.
Since Messi was not available, Martino started with Nico Freire, Robert Taylor, Adrian Gressel, Drake Callender, Tomas Aviles, Nico Freire, Jordi Alba, Diego Gomez, Sergio Busquets, David Ruiz, Julian Gressel, and Luis Suarez.
Leo Afonso, a winger on the second team who signed a first team contract on Friday and lives in Boca Raton, made his Inter Miami debut. After Ruiz was sent off in the 67th minute, he came off the bench to replace the injured Robert Taylor. Ryan Sailor, the center back, took his position at the end of the game. The squad used a 4-3-3 configuration to start the game, but when Los Rayados got the ball, they switched to a more cautious 4-5-1 shape.
This strategy worked well until Miami lost a player. “We didn’t have enough legs with 10 men to play for the last 20 minutes against a team that demands you to play with great energy,” Martino remarked.
As a very young player, Ruiz, 20, was asked how he was coping with his expulsion. Martino responded, “Everything is a learning experience, and David is a very young player.” He is a highly motivated player who aspires to continue improving.
Due to certain circumstances, he was forced to start this crucial game. I felt he played well while he was on the field, and the expulsion served as a teaching moment as well. You can benefit from these youthful blunders for the whole of your professional life. Ruiz’s second infraction involved unwarranted touch with Meza. Sensing the seriousness of his error, Ruiz padded back to the bench.
“He’s feeling better every day. After the game, Inter Miami coach Gerardo “Tata” Martino stated through an interpreter, “It would have been too much of a risk today.” Messi will remain game-to-game, he continued.
Wednesday’s meeting was the hardest of the season for Inter Miami, and in the 89th minute, Jorge Rodríguez of Monterrey broke a 1-1 draw with a shot into the top right corner past goalie Drake Callender following a careless pass by Diego Gómez of Miami.
In the nineteenth minute, Tomas Avilés scored Miami’s lone goal after a corner kick awarded by Julian Gressel. Avilés, 19, scored his first goal of the year during a strong first-half defensive effort that kept Monterrey at bay. However, Inter Miami collapsed after David Ruíz was dismissed for needless contact in the 65th minute and given a second yellow card. Miami was down a man for the last twenty-five minutes of the game.
Less than five minutes later, Maximiliano Meza scored a goal for Monterrey, taking advantage of a corner kick by Sergio Canales and shooting past Callender on his second attempt.
