Inter Miami ahead Lionel Messi, proper, watches from his sideline field through the first half of an MLS soccer match towards CF Montreal in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
| Photo Credit: AP
Lionel Messi wore avenue garments and watched from a sideline field as Montreal took benefit of a number of Inter Miami defensive miscues at hand his team its first loss of the season — a 3-2 defeat at residence.
Messi didn’t play on March 10 after beforehand being listed as questionable with a shin damage.
The damage occurred in a 2-2 draw at Nashville within the CONCACAF Champions Cup final week. Messi went to contest a cross from Nashville’s Lukas Macnaughton, who appeared to step on the 36-year-old’s calf and trigger his left ankle to twist. Trainers tended to Messi as he writhed in ache on the pitch within the 77th minute, however he remained within the match.
Messi left that match with a bruise, however head coach Gerardo “Tata” Martino stated Sunday the team and Messi had beforehand agreed that he would relaxation towards Montreal — it doesn’t matter what occurred at Nashville.
Martino has been tasked with discovering methods to handle Messi’s workload and restoration as he has performed each minute of Inter Miami’s first 4 video games of the season.
Resting the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner is smart — Inter Miami will play two extra video games over the subsequent six days. That’s 4 video games in a ten-day stretch. And Messi was referred to as as much as symbolize the Argentinian nationwide team in a pair of Copa America warm-up matches on March 22 and 26. Inter Miami additionally has a match at New York on March 23.
“We all know Leo,” Inter Miami assistant coach Javier Morales stated throughout a media availability Saturday, “he’s a player who wants to play every game. I think we will have a conversation with him, see how he is and try to decide what is best for him.”
Luis Suarez and Sergio Busquets didn’t begin on Sunday however got here on as second-half substitutes. Suarez, like Messi, had beforehand began all 4 of Inter Miami’s video games.
“They asked me ten days ago if we were going to do a rotation,” Martino stated curtly when requested about resting Messi, as nicely as the reasoning behind Sunday’s lineup.
“Today we did a rotation. There’s no other answer.”
Leonarda Campana scored the tying purpose for Miami within the 71st minute after Montreal took a 1-0 lead early within the first half on a header from Fernando Álvarez. Off a cross from Lawson Sunderland, Campana injected life into the gang at Chase Stadium when he despatched a header into the underside left nook of the web.
But in a recreation that was considered one of Inter Miami’s sloppiest of the season, Montreal took a two-goal lead with scores from Matías Cóccaro and Sunusi Ibrahim in lower than a five-minute span.
“I think we should have won the game,” Martino stated.
“We merited winning the game. What worries me is that we are a team that is not defending as hard as we should.” It was Inter Miami’s first loss of the younger season, regardless of having possibilities down the stretch. Jordi Alba despatched a left-footed shot from exterior the field into the highest left nook to make it 3-2.
Inter Miami will face Nashville once more on Wednesday within the second leg of their CONCACAF Champions Cup Round of 16 matchup.
