Lionel Messi watched and cheered from the sidelines as his teammates Luis Suarez, Rodrigo De Paul and Tadeo Allende scored one each to help Inter Miami beat Pumas UNAM 3-1 on Wednesday night to advance in the knockout stages of the Leagues Cup. Inter Miami, with eight points from three matches in the Major League Soccer (MLS) Leagues Cup standings, are the first team from MLS to go through in the next round.
Rodrigo De Paul, who joined Inter Miami last month, scored his first goal for the club in the 45th minute, thanks to an assist from Suarez. De Paul’s goal leveled things up after Pumas UNAM took the lead though Jorge Ruvalcaba in the 34th.
Messi’s former Barcelona teammate, Suarez, put Inter Miami ahead when he converted a penalty kick in the 59th after a handball was called on Pumas defender Jose Caicedo in the penalty area.
It was Suarez first goal since he scored in Inter Miami’s Club World Cup match against Palmeiras on June 23. Allende finished Suarez’s second assist of the night in the 69th. During the game, Messi looked relaxed and cheered for every goal, the reactions of which went viral.
What happened to Lionel Messi?
Messi didn’t play the game due to an injury. The Argentine superstar is believed to have suffered a minor muscle injury in his right leg with no clear timeline for his return. Messi suffered the injury in the opening minutes of Inter Miami’s win over Necaxa on Saturday. He is also likely to miss Inter Miami’s upcoming clash against Orlando City.
“Messi underwent medical tests to evaluate the extent of the muscle discomfort he experienced during last night’s Leagues Cup match against Necaxa, which forced him to leave the field,” Inter Miami said in a statement on their website on August 4.
“The results confirmed a minor muscle injury in his right leg. His medical clearance will depend on his clinical progress and response to treatment,” it added. So far, Messi has scored 19 goals and was involved in nine assists across 24 games for Inter Miami.