In front of one of the largest crowds in the history of the MLS, Inter Miami defeated Sporting Kansas City 3-2 with an exceptional assist and a goal from Lionel Messi and somewhat decisive Luis Suarez.
Inter took a breath after their elimination this week in the Concacaf Champions Cup and regained the lead in the Eastern Conference of the North American League (MLS) with 15 points, the same as the New York Red Bulls but with one more game.
Lionel Messi: his performance throughout the Inter Miami match
Messi was the great figure of the meeting providing a magical assist for Inter’s first goal, achieved by Paraguayan Diego Gómez at 18 minutes and scoring the second with a shot from outside the area in the 51st minute.
The Argentine star’s goal blew up the crowd at the Arrowhead stadium of the Kansas City Chiefs, current NFL champions, who saw their stands packed with 72,610 spectators, the fourth largest attendance recorded in the 29 seasons of MLS history.
He Sporting Kansas City He even tied it at 2-2 with a double from the German Erik Thommy at 6 and 58 minutes, but the Uruguayan Luis Suárez gave Miami the victory in the 71st minute.
The victory reduces the pressure on Inter and their coach, Gerardo Martino, after they only had two wins in the previous nine games, half of them without Messi due to his muscle problems.
Martino only made one change from the team that three days ago fell 3-1 on Monterrey’s field, in a painful elimination in the quarterfinals of the Champions Cup.
“Today we managed to get out of that dynamic of tied and lost games, of mistakes, in a week that was difficult and very long,” highlighted ‘El Tata’. “We recovered our feelings and won the game well. We are satisfied.”
The match got underway amid a spectacular atmosphere at Arrowhead Stadium, one of the venues for this year’s Copa América and the 2026 World Cup.
Patrick Mahomes, leader of the Chiefs and the biggest current star in the NFL, He witnessed the game and greeted Messi before the start wearing a Sporting Kansas City shirt, a franchise of which he is a minority owner.
In the first of many errors by Inter’s defenders, the hosts took advantage of a distraction from Marcelo Weigandt to steal the ball in Inter’s half and take the lead with a cross shot from Erik Thommy.
Miami did not take long to respond with the first appearance of Messi, who provided a fabulous assist for Gómez’s emergence into the area, which he defined first.
Messi had two opportunities to convert before the end of the first half, with a shot into the hands of veteran Tim Melia and a free kick that passed inches from the post.
Messi scorer
On the third chance he had, Messi made up for the price of the tickets with a stratospheric goal. The Spanish Sergio Busquets intercepted a pass from the local defense and the ball ended up reaching the rosaron who took a whip from mid-distance to put Inter ahead.
Messi thus added his fifth goal in the five games he has played this season.
Sporting equalized the score with a great volley from Thommy but then came up empty-handed after a short pass from the winger to Jake Davis to his goalkeeper Melian.
The Paraguayan Gomez he stole the ball and found Suárez in the small area to serve the winning goal on a plate to the team of Gerardo Martino.
Inter did not have any problems in a bumpy final stretch in which the Spanish Jordi Alba was substituted due to an apparent muscle injury and Messi’s bodyguard had to jump onto the grass due to the emergence of several fans who wanted a photograph with the Argentine.
The summary of the Inter Miami match
Kansas City: Tim Melia; Jake Davis, Andreu Fontàs, Daniel Rosero, Tim Leibold; Nemanja Radoja, Rémi Walter, Erik Thommy; Dániel Sallói, Alan Pulido and William Agada. DT: Peter Vermes.
InterMiami: Drake Callender; Marcelo Weigandt, Nicolás Freire, Tomás Avilés, Jordi Alba; Julian Gressel, David Ruiz, Sergio Busquets, Diego Gómez; Lionel Messi and Luis Suárez. DT: Gerardo Martino.
Goals: PT 6m Erik Thommy (K), 18m Diego Gómez (L) ; ST: 5m Lionel Messi (I), 12m Erik Thommy (K), 25m Luis Suárez (I).
Changes: PT 45m F. Hernandez by R. Walter (K); ST 20m B. Cremaschi by J. Gressel (I), 32m F. Negri by J. Alba (I), 38m J. Russell by E. Thommy (K), 47m Y. Bright by D. Gomez (I).
Stadium: Arrowhead Stadium
Referee: Victor Rivas.
Source: Ambito
I am Pierce Boyd, a driven and ambitious professional working in the news industry. I have been writing for 24 Hours Worlds for over five years, specializing in sports section coverage. During my tenure at the publication, I have built an impressive portfolio of articles that has earned me a reputation as an experienced journalist and content creator.
