Lionel Messi saves Inter Miami from Champions Cup exit with stirring fightback

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In 2017, Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Javier Mascherano spearheaded one of Barcelona’s most thrilling comeback wins. The Catalan side entered the Champions League round of 16 second leg with a four-goal deficit to Paris Saint-Germain. It was a near-impossible task to advance despite the enormous amount of talent that Barcelona fielded.

Suarez and Messi scored, and Barcelona pulled off a remarkable 6-1 win to move on, 6-5 on aggregate. La Remontada (“The Comeback”) was etched in Barcelona lore.

Wednesday night, Mascherano, now the manager of Inter Miami, relied on Messi and Suarez once again. Now in their final years as professionals, the two South Americans helped Miami defeat LAFC 3-1 on aggregate to advance to the Concacaf Champions League semifinals.

Messi scored twice, the first a thunderous strike from just inside the penalty area to beat LAFC goalkeeper Hugo Lloris and give Miami life in the first half. After Fernando Redondo’s glancing header gave Miami a 2-1 lead in the 61st minute, Miami were awarded a penalty kick after LAFC defender Marlon handled the ball in the 84th minute.

Messi stepped up and beat Lloris again from the penalty spot. It was a flashback to the 2022 World Cup final at the Lusail Stadium in Qatar, where Messi scored twice from the spot to help Argentina win a thrilling final. Wednesday, Messi used a similar start and stuttered run-up to keep Lloris guessing before causally placing the ball into the net as the former French international looked on in despair.

At kickoff, the deficit for Miami seemed like a much more manageable challenge than what Messi and Barcelona faced in 2017. LAFC held a 1-0 lead entering the contest, but when defender Aaron Long scored in the 10th minute, the hole Miami would have to dig themselves out of got considerably deeper. They would need three unanswered goals to advance, and at that moment, it felt like Miami would crash out of the tournament, raising questions about the future of its star-studded project.

Mascherano was entrusted by Miami managing owner Jorge Mas to succeed Tata Martino and take a team that broke the MLS points record in 2024 — and won the Supporters’ Shield — to new heights. His inexperience as a head coach at the professional level and previous failures as Argentina’s U-23 coach will follow him until he wins a trophy with Miami. A loss Wednesday would have exacerbated those concerns. A loss would’ve recalibrated Miami’s season expectations, as well.

For a club that wants to earn international clout on the pitch, the Champions Cup is a tournament they must contend for. Being a contender at the Club World Cup this summer, featuring some of Europe’s and South America’s best teams, might be a bar that’s too high for an MLS team to reach. Miami are still in contention to win the MLS Cup final and an international trophy. Smiling ear to ear in his postgame news conference, Mascherano reminded reporters about what he had said Tuesday that would be needed to advance.

“A cool head and your heart in your hands,” Mascherano said. “If I’m going to lose I want to lose like that, with the players giving everything. We wanted to be in the semifinal and it showed, making mistakes but also playing well. I just told Jorge Mas that luck is needed for these types of comebacks. That’s why football is so beautiful. The coin landed on our side.”

Marcelo Weigandt heads the ball while under pressure from Denis Bouanga. (Megan Briggs / Getty Images)

LAFC head coach Steve Cherundolo rued his side’s inability to put their foot on Miami’s throat when they had the chance. But the match had a bit of everything. It was a fast-paced affair in which LAFC at times looked like the better side. When it appeared that Miami may not find the goals to advance, the headlines were writing themselves, all in favor of LAFC, a Hollywood-inspired club with experienced internationals and their pair of World Cup winners in Lloris and Oliver Giroud.

Denis Bouanga, 30, a player who has been an MVP candidate since his arrival in 2022, put on a show in the first half and was a danger to score throughout the night. He terrorized Miami’s right side and should’ve gotten on the scoresheet.

Yet, it was Messi, 37, whose clinical play and non-stop engine (albeit sputtering at times), would drive Miami to victory. They were helped by Bouanga’s missed chances in front of goal, of course.

“They couldn’t put the game away. They gave us life,” said Mascherano.

When he was asked about Messi, Mascherano told reporters that talking about the Argentina captain makes him a bit uncomfortable. They’ve known each other for over 20 years, first as teammates with Argentina and Barcelona, and now in a very different situation as player and coach.

Still, Mascherano’s adulation for Messi was untempered.

“He’s the soul of this team. There’s no doubt about that,” Mascherano said. “He has won everything in this sport. He’s the greatest of all time and he’s still showing what it means to want to win. He’ll do the impossible to win. He keeps you in the game. He scored the winning penalty. I just try to help him continue to win and to continue to be happy.”

He continued. “I knew it would be an unforgettable night because I know my players, even though the veterans have won everything. The young players are hungry to put this club at another level.”

Miami will face either Mexico’s Pumas or the Vancouver Whitecaps in the semifinal round, with those teams also battling it out on Wednesday night. Meanwhile, their MLS season will continue and preparation for the Club World Cup will come sooner than later. For now, however, Miami will celebrate a hard-fought win that keeps their dream of international glory alive. Mascherano made the right tactical decisions on the night and showed that he has a clear understanding of what this group’s strengths and weaknesses may be early in 2025. As a player, Mascherano played with a knife between his teeth. On Wednesday in Fort Lauderdale, his team did the same.

“We cannot think about the Club World Cup,” said Mascherano. “We have Chicago Fire on Sunday, but this is the way.”

(Top photo of Lionel Messi celebrating after scoring the team’s first goal: Rich Storry / Getty Images)

This news was originally published on this post .

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