Lionel Messi hogged the headlines again with another masterclass as Inter Miami edged past Atlas FC in the Leagues Cup opener at Chase Stadium on Thursday, MySportDab reports.
It was a rollercoaster at the 21,000-capacity stadium as the Herons waged battle with the Mexican side in the opening match of the competition.
Despite playing away from home, Atlas FC gave a good account of themselves in the first half. They held the MLS Supporters’ Shield champions to a goalless draw in a largely ding-dong first 45 minutes.
In the second half, Inter Miami stepped up proceedings looking for the curtain-raiser and it wasn’t long before they found one.
22-year-old Venezuelan midfielder Telasco Segovia opened the scoring for the home side three minutes before the hour mark.
Latching on to a brilliant assist from Lionel Messi, the youngster beat the Atlas FC goalkeeper to ripple the back of the net and give the team the lead.
However, 10 minutes from regulation time, Atlas FC chalked off the lead courtesy of Mexican Full-back Rivaldo Lozano’s goal.
Inter Miami had just 10 minutes to retake the lead and the visitors were proving a tough nut to crack going forward as they drop deeper to sabotage the hosts’ countless offensives.
However, they were finally undone by the resilience of Javier Mascherano’s side. Just at the last touch of the ball, the Herons finally split open the visitors’ defence with a beautiful build-up play.
This allowed Lionel Messi to thread a beautiful cross from the left inside the box to an on-rushing Marcelo Weigant, who slid it in in the 90+5th minute to secure a late victory for the team.
They will now take on Necaxa on their next match in the competition on Sunday. Meanwhile, Messi has now bagged a record 388 career assists after the double against the Mexican opponents.
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