No Lionel Messi? Massive downside for Inter Miami.
With their injured famous person wanting on in road garments in South Florida, the Herons squandered a 1-0 first half lead in opposition to Liga MX powerhouse Monterrey on Wednesday and went on to lose the opening match of the two-game, dwelling and residential, total-goals-wins collection within the Concacaf Champions Cup quarterfinal 2-1.
Nineteen-year-old middle again Tomás Avilés scored within the nineteenth minute for Miami, however Maximiliano Meza equalized simply moments after the hosts had been diminished to 10 males. The strike gave Los Rayados a doubtlessly tie-breaking away aim, and Jorge Rodríguez added a backbreaking second one late, giving Monterrey the mixture benefit because the groups head to Mexico for subsequent week’s decisive rematch — one Miami should hope that Messi, who has been nursing a hamstring ailment since final month, may very well be obtainable for.
Listed here are a number of fast takeaways following Wednesday’s contest.
Play of the sport
5-time Concacaf champion Monterrey most likely had the higher of the play within the first half, however Miami struck first blood when Avilés caught out a leg and stabbed a Julian Gressel nook kick previous visiting keeper Esteban Andrada:
Turning level
Miami was nonetheless largely in management regardless of its slender lead because the clock ticked previous the hour mark. However all the pieces modified within the sixty fifth minute when Herons midfielder David Ruiz, who had escaped a second yellow card earlier, swung an arm in Meza’s route, slamming the winger within the face. Guatemalan referee Walter López brandished one other yellow after which a crimson regardless of impassioned appeals from Miami veterans Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets.
4 minutes later, Meza pounced on a free ball that had deflected off of Busquets’ head, smashing it previous dwelling keeper Drake Callender — a aim that López confirmed after VAR evaluation.
The sending off and the tying aim modified the momentum fully. Gassed and shorthanded, the guests’ second felt all however inevitable at that time. Certain sufficient, Rodríguez transformed within the ultimate minute of standard time:
Key stat
Three MLS groups hosted first-leg quarterfinals in opposition to Liga MX counterparts this week. None of them gained. And given MLS’s horrible 5-31 file in second leg matches south of the border, this 12 months’s match may see each one in every of American/Canadian league’s reps eradicated earlier than the semifinal stage for the primary time since 2016.
What’s subsequent for Inter Miami?
The Herons will host the Colorado Rapids in MLS common season motion on Saturday. However with the journey to Monterrey looming massive simply 4 days later, count on coach Tata Martino to subject a lineup that doesn’t embrace the likes of Alba, Busquets and Luis Suárez. Messi definitely gained’t play within the hope that he can contribute in some capability subsequent Wednesday in Mexico.
What’s subsequent for Monterrey?
Los Rayados journey to Mexico Metropolis to tackle Cruz Azul on Saturday earlier than returning dwelling to Estadio BBVA to welcome Miami.
Doug McIntyre is a soccer author for FOX Sports activities. Earlier than becoming a member of FOX Sports activities in 2021, he was a employees author with ESPN and Yahoo Sports activities and he has lined United Statesmales’s and ladies’s nationwide groups at a number of FIFA World Cups. Comply with him on Twitter @ByDougMcIntyre.
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