Playing without star forward Lionel Messi, Inter Miami lost 2-1 to Liga MX club Monterrey on Wednesday night in the first leg of the CONCACAF Champions Cup quarterfinals.
Messi remained out with a hamstring injury that has kept him on the sidelines since March 13.
Inter Miami held a one-goal lead in the second half, but homegrown midfielder David Ruiz picked up a second yellow card in the 65th minute for a hand to the face of a Monterrey player, forcing Miami to play a man down for the final 25 minutes of the game. It didn’t take long for Rayados to take advantage. Maxi Meza scored in the 69th minute. Jorge Rodriguez capitalized on a mistake by Paraguayan midfielder Diego Gomez to curl the game-winner past Miami goalkeeper Drake Callender into the upper corner of the far post in the 88th minute.
Messi has now missed four games after sustaining a hamstring injury in Inter Miami’s 3-1 victory over Nashville in the previous round of the Champions Cup on March 13. Inter Miami coach Tata Martino said Tuesday that Messi would be a game-time decision. The Argentine star trained with the team on Monday and Tuesday.
“As we said it goes game by game,” Martino said after the match. “We understood that this was not a game for him to be in, that he was not ready. And that’s how it will happen with Colorado and that’s what will happen with the return leg to Monterrey, but every day he feels better. Today would have been too big a risk.”
Champions Cup starting XI 💪#MIAvMTY #VamosMiami pic.twitter.com/o6yTbMGDXR
— Inter Miami CF (@InterMiamiCF) April 3, 2024
Earlier in the week, Martino said the team would not risk aggravating the injury by rushing the 36-year-old’s return.
“We have to consider that we are only in the beginning of April, for us this is only just (the) beginning, and what we shouldn’t do is risk our player’s physical health,” Martino said.
“What we will determine is fundamentally what is best for Leo, like with any player, and from there we will make the right decisions.”
Messi was subbed out 50 minutes into a 3-1 win over Nashville, having earlier netted his fifth goal of the season.
Messi watches Miami face Monterrey at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale. (Megan Briggs/Getty Images)
The loss to Rayados was a brutal one, as Miami now faces an uphill battle as they head to Monterrey for the away leg next week. Miami will need at least two goals on the road to have a chance to advance to the semifinals.
Rayados currently sits second in the Liga MX table, tied with first-place Club America on points with 28.
Winning the Champions Cup would secure a berth in next year’s FIFA Club World Cup, which will include some of the top clubs in the world. MLS teams did not fare well in Tuesday’s Champions Cup games. Columbus tied Tigres, 1-1, at home, while Club America beat New England Revolution, 4-0, in Foxborough, Mass.
(Photo: Rich Storry/Getty Images)
Read the full article here