Football/MLS: Lionel Messi voted man of the match after inter Miami’s opening season victory
On Thursday, February 22nd, 2024, Lionel Messi didn’t disappoint in his debut in the opening match of the new season of the Major League Soccer (MLS) football championship. The Argentine World Cup champion was the man of the match, helping his team, Inter Miami, to beat Real Salt Lake 2-0.
Against a cautious Salt Lake City team, Lionel Messi almost opened the scoring in the 18th minute with a free kick from 30 meters, deflected by Justen Glad’s head. Miami finally took the lead when the Spaniard Sergio Busquets found Lionel Messi. The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner cleverly slipped the ball to Finnish forward Robert Taylor, whose low shot beat RSL goalkeeper Zac MacMath (1-0, 39th minute).
This goal forced the visitors to react after the break, and their more aggressive approach posed some problems for Inter. Sensing that his team needed to secure the win, Messi increased his pace and took control of the game.
Towards the end of the match, dropping deeper to retrieve the ball, he found Luis Suarez – his former teammate at FC Barcelona – who set up Diego Gomez. The Paraguayan midfielder placed his low shot in the opposite corner to make it 2-0 (83rd minute).
Lionel Messi, who played the full match, silenced concerns about his physical condition with an excellent performance for Gerardo « Tata » Martino’s team. « He looked free, fit, and showed great speed», commented the coach after the match. Inter Miami travels to Los Angeles Galaxy for their second match on Sunday.
