Next gala for Inter Miami
Goalkeeper Messi ‘scares’ other teams
8/3/2023 11:57 am
Lionel Messi also celebrates his third appearance for Inter Miami. In just 204 minutes of play so far, the superstar has already scored five goals and freed his new club from the crisis after eleven games without a win. Even two adversities don’t stop Messi.
World champion Lionel Messi remains a goalkeeper for his new US club Inter Miami. The Argentine scored twice again in the 3-1 North American Leagues Cup win over Orlando City, bringing the total to five in just three games. He needed just 204 minutes in the jersey of his new employer, which he shot out of the crisis after eleven games without a win.
“He gives everyone around him confidence. You can give him balls in difficult situations and you know that he will do something with it,” right-back DeAndre Yedlin enthused about the new superstar: “The downside of the coin is that the teams against which we play, get a little scared. They withdraw a little and that gives us less room to play.”
Messi scored in the 7th and 72nd minutes of Spain international Jordi Alba’s debut for the Florida club, paving the way to the round of 16 in the international competition. With Sergio Busquets, the third ex-professional of FC Barcelona was also on the pitch.
However, Messi also experienced a small moment of shock. He collided with Orlando’s Mauricio Pereyra in the second half and was knocked down. He held his jaw longer, but was then able to continue playing. The 36-year-old, who came on a free transfer from Paris Saint-Germain, later received his first yellow card in the USA for a hard foul before the break.
Due to a storm, the match in Miami’s home stadium could only be started more than one and a half hours late. After the teams had already come to the field to warm up, it started to rain heavily. A postponement was therefore necessary.