Fort Lauderdale (United States) (AFP) – Lionel Messi scored twice as Inter Miami fought back from 2-0 down on aggregate against Los Angeles FC with a 3-1 win (3-2 on aggregate) on Wednesday to move into the last four of the CONCACAF Champions Cup.
Trailing 1-0 from the first leg, Miami found themselves in big trouble when Aaron Long put LAFC ahead in the ninth minute. Messi got Miami back into the game with a sweet strike from outside the box in the 35th minute, but Javier Mascherano’s side still needed two more goals.
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They took a 2-1 lead on the night when Noah Allen chipped a ball into the box and neither Miami midfielder Federico Redondo nor Los Angeles keeper Hugo Lloris made contact with the ball as it travelled beyond them into the goal. Miami still needed another and thought they had it when Luis Suarez headed in a cross from Messi, but the assistant referee ruled the Uruguayan forward was offside.
But the lifeline came when Miami appealed for a handball by Marlon in a crowded tussle in the box, and a VAR review found that the Brazilian defender had handled. Messi tucked the 84th-minute spot kick into the corner to complete the comeback for Miami and earn them a place in the last four.
However, LAFC went close on three occasions to grabbing a winner in the dying minutes. Denis Bouanga twice forced saves out of Oscar Ustari, who was also tested by a Ryan Hollingshead header.
© 2024 AFP
