Since the return of Major League Soccer (MLS) in mid-August, Inter Miami have been in good form, remaining unbeaten in four games (W3 D1). In midweek, Gerardo Martino's side dropped points in a regrettable 2-2 draw with Atlanta. This result saw Inter Miami fall behind LA Galaxy and Cincinnati to eight points in the 2024 MLS standings. However, Inter Miami's chances of winning the MLS Shield for the first time in their history are still bright as the tournament enters its final stages.
In the away match at New York City FC, Inter Miami is not highly rated. In all competitions, Inter Miami has never won when traveling to Yankee Stadium. In general, since officially participating in MLS in 2021, Inter Miami has lost all times playing here. However, Inter Miami fans are still very confident that they will change history when Messi returns to the main squad, supporting his close friend Luis Suarez. In the defense, star Jordi Alba is still present.
Messi returns to Inter Miami's starting lineup
As expected, Inter Miami and Messi had a hard time against New York City FC's difficult style of play. In the first 20 minutes, Inter Miami had 40% possession and only had 1 shot on goal. Messi was the one who took the shot when he fired a free kick from about 25 meters in the 5th minute, causing the ball to roll close to New York City FC's goal.
Starting from the 25th minute, coach Gerardo Martino's team played better. With Messi's guidance, Inter Miami chose to attack in the middle. Inter Miami players continuously made small passes and long shots. Luis Suarez and Robert Taylor took turns to shoot, but all missed the target.
The second half of the first half was not really exciting when the midfield of both teams often lost the ball. The midfield area also became a hot spot with continuous collisions. Despite great efforts, Inter Miami and New York City FC still ended the first half with a 0-0 draw. Messi was the only bright spot of the half with 22 touches, 2 successful dribbles and 1 dangerous shot.
Messi was the only bright spot of the first half with impressive dribbling.
In the second half, the script did not change much as both teams continued to play slowly, ensuring safety in their home field. The difference came from Inter Miami when coach Gerardo Martino's players passed the ball more to Messi. The Argentine player also tried to dribble but his decisive passes were not taken advantage of by his teammates.
Dominating the game from the beginning of the second half, Inter Miami also found the opening goal in the 75th minute. The player who brought the goal to the visitors was Leonardo Campana - who is called "the rookie" of Inter Miami and had just entered the field 3 minutes earlier. Notably, the person who contributed the most to Leonardo Campana's goal was Messi with a breakthrough in the middle, passing the ball to the left wing for Jordi Alba to make a well-placed assist.
Messi shares joy with the only goal scorer of the match Leonardo Campana (number 8)
It seemed like the match would end with a victory for Inter Miami, but a surprise happened in the final seconds of extra time. From a corner kick from the left wing by his teammate, James Sands jumped high and headed the ball into the Inter Miami net, saving a valuable point for New York City FC.
Having dropped 3 regrettable points, Inter Miami now has 64 points, 9 points more than the 2nd place team Cincinnati (Inter Miami played 1 more match). In the next match, Messi and his teammates will return home to welcome Charlotte (September 29).
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/messi-toa-sang-inter-miami-van-chua-pha-dop-tren-san-cua-new-york-city-fc-185240922021612906.htm
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