It was an ideal first half for
Lionel Messi
against
Nashville
in the second leg.
Because in just
22 minutes
of play, the Argentine was in charge of giving an assist to
Luis Suárez
to open the scoring and scored the second goal with a left foot after a great play by
Diego Gómez
.
However, after giving that show
with Inter Miami
.
who won 3-1 (5-3 on aggregate) to advance to the quarterfinals of the Concachampions
, he was replaced at the start of the second half.
Because?
ALARM IN THE ARGENTINE NATIONAL TEAM?
Messi came out at the start of the ST in Inter Miami and Tata Martino declared that it was due to an overload on the right back.
pic.twitter.com/KrWw8zyfWW
— SportsCenter (@SC_ESPN) March 14, 2024
The voice of the stadium announced at 50' that Leo was leaving his place for Robert Taylor.
The change that Gerardo Martino decided to make caught attention, logically.
But the reality is that
the Argentine star had grabbed the posterior (hamstring) of his right leg on several occasions in the first half.
"IT WAS BOTHERING HIM..." declared Tata Martino after Leo Messi's game, who came out at 4'ST.
He also clarified that it is very likely that the Argentine number 10 will rest this Saturday vs.
D.C. United.
📺 Watch the CONCACAF Champions Cup on #StarPlusLA pic.twitter.com/WwPh8nz4J1
— SportsCenter (@SC_ESPN) March 14, 2024
"He has an overload in the right back and I'm not going to take any kind of risk.
We tried to see if he could last a little longer but it was bothering him, so we prefer that he leave the game," Martino said at a press conference.
That same area is where he was massaged at one point during the first leg against Nashville.
And it puts on alarm, of course, Inter Miami, which will play again this Saturday from 3:00 p.m. (Argentine time) against DC United.
For example, Martino has already warned that he sees the Flea's presence in Washington as very difficult.
The world champion drove his vehicle under his own power
.
Leo 👋🏻 pic.twitter.com/vOgRMi67xJ
— Messi Xtra (@M30Xtra) March 14, 2024
In addition to that match,
Messi also has the match against El Salvador ahead of him in just nine days (March 22), the first of the friendlies that the Argentine National Team will play, which will also play against Costa Rica on the 27th of this month.
It is not a new annoyance for the 36-year-old from Rosario, since during the preseason in Asia he had also been forced to stop his appearance in the friendlies.
Messi was already coming off an absence last weekend, when he rested in Inter Miami's 3-2 defeat against Montreal
with the aim of keeping his physical condition safe after the kick he received in the first leg against Nashville by Lukas MacNaughton .
Messi's game against Nashville
Just 20 minutes.
Twenty coins were spent for Messi to once again be a key piece on the path that the team led by Tata Martíno is taking with the aim of entering the next Club World Cup, through the Concacaf Champions Cup.
The obstacle that Nashville represented was deactivated that quickly in the rematch of the series that began 2-2 in the first leg.
At eight minutes he was the key to opening the scoring with a precision assist for Luis Suárez.
A play from memory: the player from Rosario received from the left, controlled and touched with just enough force for the Uruguayan who was already running to beat the defender and finish in front of the goal with a subtle touch between the goalkeeper's legs.
In this way, the Tata Martino team began to carve out the classification in front of its fans at the Chase stadium.
It was Messi himself who extended the advantage.
At 23 minutes he commanded a play in the midfield, released and went to look for the finish in the center.
The combination got dirty along the way, but Las Garzas regained possession thanks to the Paraguayan youth Diego Gómez, who entered the area and touched for the captain who, despite being left behind, stopped it and finished it without problems.
The goal confirms the best month of the year, or at least the most productive, for the world champion: of the 826 goals of his career, 106 were in March.
Already in the quarterfinals, now Inter Miami will face the winner of Monterrey - Cincinnati, which had the Mexican team as the winner in the first leg by 1 to 0. The winner of the competition will qualify for the next Club World Cup.
Shortly before the first half ended, Messi approached the bench while Martino gave heated instructions after a poor resolution in attack.
Leo had not participated and looked for the coach to tell him something.
After the end, he ran to the locker room without waiting for his teammates.
Minutes later he came out with his teammates to play the second half and just four minutes later he was replaced by Robert Taylor, who - after an assist from Suárez - scored the third with a header to ensure Inter Miami's classification, now without the best the best on the court.
Nashville scored in stoppage time, but Sam Surridge's goal did not make the difference in the overall score that ended 5-3.
While he was on the court, it was almost 50 minutes, he did not deprive himself of anything: he made 36 touches and 24 of his 27 passes - 89 percent - were precise;
He registered a save, won three of the four heads-up matches he played and in addition to the goal and the assist, he generated a great chance that was not taken advantage of.
Statistics aside, what really interests the Argentine coach, Lionel Scaloni, is that Messi arrives without problems for the upcoming friendlies, the last ones before the final list to defend the Copa América title.