Before the arrival of Messi, he accumulated a disastrous balance of eleven games in a row without winning
The fans who packed the Red Bull Arena did not stop chanting his name
Lionel Messiwho started this Saturday as a substitute, made his MLS debut with a goal in the 89th minute and Inter Miami added their ninth victory in nine games with the Argentine star by beating the New York Red Bulls 0-2 at home.
Messi came on in the 60th minute to fulfill the wishes of the thousands and thousands of fans who filled the Red Bull Arena and did not stop chanting the name of the 10 albiceleste throughout the night.
The Harrison (New Jersey) stadium appeared to be Inter Miami’s DRV PNK.
After winning the Leagues Cup and qualifying for the US Open Cup final, the pink outfit returned to MLS this Saturday, where, before Messi arrived, accumulated a disastrous balance of eleven games in a row without winning (eight losses and three draws) and was sunk as bottom of the Eastern Conference.
Now with a completely different dynamic, Inter Miami broke his losing streak thanks to a goal from Paraguayan Diego Gómez in the first part and Messi’s already in the final stretch.
This is the Messi’s eleventh goal in nine games with Inter Miami.
For his first regular season goal for the club 🎉
Cremaschi ▶️ Messi!#RBNYvMIA | 0-2 pic.twitter.com/jyzfCqMKwQ
— Inter Miami CF (@InterMiamiCF) August 27, 2023
The team that leads Gerardo ‘Tata’ Martino thus took the first step for the comeback in search of the ‘playoff’ of the MLS.
Inter Miami has 21 points after 23 games and is 11 away from the Chicago Fire, which has played 24 games and later visits the LA Galaxy.
waiting for Messi
Martino had warned that some of his players needed rest. So Messi, Sergio BusquetsJosef Martínez and Deandre Yedlin started the game on the bench.
With Jordi Alba and Robert Taylor drumming on the wings Taking advantage of the three center back scheme, Inter Miami, without Messi at the helm, started the match with personality, dominating the ball and locking up a New York team that had no problem backing down.
He was especially incisive Alba, who endorsed the left wingwhile the Red Bulls tried the same with Luquinhas on the left side.
With possession but without creativity in the last third, Inter Miami allowed the New York Red Bulls to stretch out.
So, Dru Yearwood served up a ‘death pass’ to Omir Fernandezbut the young American talent missed his shot when he was almost singing the goal.
The goal that the New Yorkers forgave was paid twice as dearly since, in the following play, Gómez caught a rejection inside the area, after a free kick taken from the right wingand put Inter Miami ahead, beating Carlos Coronel.
Leonardo Campana was close to the second before the break with a kind of scissors, but the game went to rest with 0-1 and after one last scare for the visitors, since the referee called a penalty for a handball inside the Inter Miami area but the VAR rectified that decision.
The highlight of the resumption was the explosion of shouts and applause that was lived in the Red Bull Arena when Messi came off the bench to warm up in a corner.
In what strictly happened on the green, the local team came out with more ambition and had several clear chances for the tie, but neither Barlow, nor Luquinhas, nor Amaya nor Edelman were successful in a second half dominated by New York.
The situation did not change with the entry of Messi and Busquets in an Inter Miami that backed down and that he again showed signs of running on very little gasoline.
However, Messi’s magic appeared in the last minutes.
It was not with a direct free kick, when all his fans were already licking their lips in the stands, but with a stupendous triangulation with Cremaschi, who left him the ball to push the goal at will and close a perfect night for fans of the Argentine idol.
– Data sheet
0. New York Red Bulls: Colonel; Harper (Carmona, m.83), Reyes, Nealis, Tolkin; Edelman; Fernández (Cabezas, m.76), Yearwood (Stroud, m.46), Amaya (Burke, m.66), Luquinhas; Elias Manoel (Barlow, d.46).
Coach: Troy Lesesne.
2. Inter Miami: Callender; Taylor (Yedlin, m.60), Aviles, Miller, Allen, Alba; Gómez (Robinson, m.84), Arroyo, Ruíz (Busquets, m.60), Farías (Cremaschi, m.72); and Bell (Messi, m.60).
Coach: Gerardo Martino.
Goals: 0-1, m.37: Gomez. 0-2, m.89: Messi.
Referee: Allen Chapman. He admonished Harper at the New York Red Bulls and Avilés at Inter Miami.
Incidents: MLS game played at the Red Bull Arena in Harrison in front of about 25,000 spectators (full).