The Herons managed to secure the upset, but Mascherano’s actions could result in further consequences
Lionel Messi missed Inter Miami’s quarterfinal match against Liga MX’s Tigres, but there was plenty of drama as the Herons edged La U de Nuevo León in a 2-1 thriller on Wednesday night.
Luis Suarez came through with two ice-cold spot kicks as a result of not one, but two handball calls on Tigres’ Javier Aquino. Despite being underdogs without their eight-time Ballon D’Or winner Messi, Inter Miami got off to an inspired start. They held an advantage on possession and were more incisive than their Liga MX opponents – who currently sit sixth in the Apertura with a game in hand.
A shot by Suarez hit the bottom of Aquino’s arm. After a VAR review, Suarez was awarded the penalty, which he calmly finished. Tempers flared after that play, as several players confronted each other. Reminiscent of his playing days as Liverpool and Barcelona’s enforcer, Inter Miami manager Javier Mascherano also got into the mix – yelling at referees and players.
As he walked back on the pitch he was immediately show a red card and had to leave, but the controversy did not end there. Tigres took advantage of the chaos to seize momentum in the second half.
Angel Correa, an international teammate of Messi and Rodrigo De Paul, took advantage of a poor loss of possession from Gonzalo Lujan and weaved past two defenders to score on Oscar Ustari – a shot that could have been saved had the goalkeeper been better positioned.
Mascherano, sitting just 20 feet away from the coach’s bench in the stands, was seen using his phone to yell instructions. Cameras caught Lucas Rodriguez Pagano, his assistant coach, answering on the phone’s loudspeaker.
Luck remained on Miami’s side. Another penalty was awarded following a more obvious handball by Aquino. Suarez easily converted, shooting in the same direction to ice Miami’s win.
GOAL rates Inter Miami’s players from Chase Stadium.