Inter Miami cf Javier Mascherano’s head coach welcomed Lionel Messi for his impact on the team 3-1 Comeback Win against Laftc in the second stage Concacaf Champions Cup Quarterfinal series when the captain scored a defining goal.
Although LAFC entered the game with 1-0 leaders Noah allen He won the team ticket for the next round.
“Messi is the soul of this team. Sometimes I feel uncomfortable about him because I have known him for 20 years and I have to help him at this stage of his career,” Mascherano said after the game.
“He’s a man who has everything in football. He’s the biggest history and still makes a way and leads new generations beyond what he won everything until the last day he plays on the pitch.
“He wants to win and make impossible. Football is just about wanting, but you have to be able to be able. And he has the ability to do because he is the greatest of all.”
Messi led the team to victory on the pitch and beyond him with a teammate Luis Suárez He revealed that the team captain recommended the players to stay calm to find the opportunities before the finish.
“Leo told us during the game, and Jordi told us that even though the second team scored, we had to stay calm,” Suarez said.
“The possibilities would be the same, we needed to win three goals. With experience, hierarchy and players we have, we did it.”
In the end, it was Messi who scored the sentence in the 84th minute of the match to create a history for Inter Miami by securing a place in the semifinal of the international tournament. The team previously fell to CF Monterrey in 2024 during the quarterfinals.
Chief coach LAFC Steve Cherundolo admitted that he emphasized the importance of Messi’s defense to his players, but number 10 found a way to benefit in the last third.
“Look, you’re talking about one of the biggest played this sport. And from my taste, in the other half, you had a little too much freedom,” Cherundolo said.
“We couldn’t get enough pressure on him. I thought we did a great job in the first leg. In the second, I think it was a bit of freedom. We couldn’t get enough pressure on the ball and you know it will punish you just like his teammate. I think it’s part of what is so good.
Inter Miami will now prepare for the winner of the series between Vancouver Whitecaps and Pumas unam In the semifinals Concacaf Champions Cup.
