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Lionel Messi’s Epic Debut: Philadelphia Union vs Inter Miami Leagues Cup Semifinal Messi goals summary
Nine goals over six games, one appearance in the finals. In the Leagues Cup playoffs on Tuesday night at Subaru Park in Chester, Pennsylvania, Inter Miami CF defeated the Philadelphia Union 4-1, continuing Lionel Messi’s outstanding performance.
Messi, Josef Martnez, and Jordi Alba all scored in the first half to give the away team an unstoppable lead as Miami advanced to the first Leagues Cup final by winning all of its games since the Argentine World Cup champion joined the team in July.
In the late semifinal on Tuesday night, Nashville SC—which defeated Liga MX club Monterrey 2-0—will take against Gerardo Martino’s group. On Saturday night in Nashville, they’ll perform in the finale.
Martino declared, “The team has advanced to the final of an international competition.”One of the goals was getting into the Concacaf Champions Cup. We must now get ready to try to win the championship, if at all feasible. We are driven and self-assured, but we are also intent on improving in every way. This club should be fiercely competitive.
Jim Curtin, the manager of the opposing team, was even more disappointed because the Union had already lost on penalties in the MLS Cup final last year, advanced to the 2023 Concacaf Champions League playoffs this spring, and lost in the 2021 MLS Eastern Conference finals.
Argentine superstar Lionel Messi has led Inter Miami to new heights in just one month of play.
Miami is in a good position to win its first trophy in four seasons of play after defeating the Philadelphia Union 4-1 on Tuesday to progress to the CONCACAF Leagues Cup final.
Messi has scored in each of his first six matches since joining Inter, and his goal against Philadelphia was his ninth in just six games. He currently leads the Leagues Cup scoring list.
After only a brief time at Inter Miami, Messi is only 20 goals behind Gonzalo Higuain, another member of his country, for the franchise’s all-time scoring list.
After Josef Martinez had given Miami the lead, Messi scored in the 20th minute with a low rocket from more than 30 yards away. His strike missed Union goalkeeper Andre Blake’s outstretched fingertips and went in off the right post.
Jordi Alba, a seasoned Spanish striker, added a third Miami goal in first-half stoppage time, his first goal in four matches since recently joining Inter, before Alejandro Bedoya restored parity for Philadelphia with 17 minutes left.
Few people will be upset after what they saw. Not even the Union season ticket holders, who for one night renounced their support for the local team and wore Messi-themed clothing.
Many others lined up in front of a truck selling French fries with the “Messi” trademark while others waited till the wee hours of the morning to buy shirts, authentic or not.
Even the Union won’t be in mourning. Of course, he wanted to win, but he had plenty of cash in the bank. Additionally, the squad received more media coverage in a single game than any other time in its history.
When Messi was introduced and scored despite goalie Andre Blake’s shot, the crowd exploded in cheers. Messi charged with his arms outstretched, leaped for excitement, and then punched the air.
The rest of the match’s incidents paled in comparison.
In the first period, goals were scored by Jordi Alba of Spain and Josef Martnez of Venezuela. In the complement, David Ruiz scored.
Miami’s opponents for the tournament championship on Saturday will either be Nashville or Monterrey of Mexico.
Alejandro Bedoya scored for Philadelphia in the second half.
The Associated Press was informed by Jay Sugarman, the Union’s principal owner, that shifting the game from Subaru Park to Lincoln Financial Field, the Eagles’ NFL stadium, was not actually an option. Despite the fact that an additional 40,000 people would have packed the football stadium, Coach Jim Curtain cautioned that the game would be affected, according to Sugarman.
