Sports

Messi comes off bench to score as Inter Miami defeat Red Bulls

Argentine star, Lionel Messi, came off the bench and scored as Inter Miami began their push for the Major League Soccer (MLS) playoffs with a 2-0 win at New York Red Bulls on Saturday night.

After a week in which Miami won the Leagues Cup and reached the final of the US Open Cup, Messi was left on the bench in the match against Red Bulls by coach Gerard “Tata” Martino but came into the game on the hour mark.

The Argentine World Cup winner had limited involvement after entering with former Barcelona team-mate Sergio Busquets but made his mark on his regular season debut with an 89th-minute goal.

READ ALSO: Messi wins first trophy with Inter Miami

Jordi Alba acrobatically hooked the ball into the box to Messi who twisted and turned then slipped a sublime pass with the outside of his foot to Benjamin Cremaschi whose low first-time cross was tapped in by the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner.

Messi has now scored 11 goals in nine appearances in all competitions since joining Inter Miami.

Speaking after the game, Miami’s 19-year-old defender, Noah Allen, said: “He’s unbelievable, every day it’s something new, on and off the field.

“He’s an amazing person to play with and I am so blessed to play with him.”

The win lifts Inter Miami off the bottom of the Eastern Conference and reduces the gap to the last playoff sport to 11 points with 11 games remaining.

The Star

Segun Ojo

Recent Posts

Kaduna govt earmarks N93bn to boost water supply

The Kaduna State Government has announced plans to spend N93 billion over four years for…

1 hour ago

Trump picks campaign manager as White House chief of staff

United States President-elect Donald Trump, on Thursday, November 7, 2024, announced that one of his…

2 hours ago

EPL fixtures: Chelsea host Arsenal as Liverpool face Aston Villa

Chelsea will aim to deepen Arsenal's misery in their Premier League clash at Stamford Bridge…

2 hours ago

NAICOM gives insurers December 31 deadline to clear outstanding claims

The National Insurance Commission (NAICOM) has given insurance companies a December 31, 2024, deadline to…

4 hours ago

Makinde: Nigerians looking up to PDP, we’ll fix party to fix Nigeria

Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde says the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) will do everything…

5 hours ago

National grid collapse: Minister orders TCN to implement c’ttee’s recommendations

The Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, has directed the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) and…

5 hours ago

This website uses cookies.