One of the greatest footballers of all time missed the first match, but he played and scored in Kingston. Inter Miami had defeated Cavalier 2-0 at home last week and got the job done in the second leg in Jamaica as well. They won away by the same scoreline (2-0) and advanced to the quarterfinals of the North American Champions Cup.Messi goals are inevitable 🔥#TheChampions pic.twitter.com/b8qOi99M60— Major League Soccer (@MLS) March 14, 2025 This is a competition traditionally dominated by American and Mexican teams. Mexico already has three representatives and will likely add a fourth when Pumas defends its 2-0 lead against Alajuelense in Costa Rica in the early hours of Friday. The U.S. teams already in the quarterfinals include LA Galaxy, Inter Miami, and Los Angeles FC, while the fourth MLS representative is Vancouver Whitecaps, a Canadian club. This means that all eight quarterfinalists will be a showdown between MLS and Mexican teams. As expected before the match, the pitch was in poor condition, making it difficult for players to play clean and fluid football. However, the superior quality of the visitors from Florida ultimately decided the game.Luis Suarez Goal to make it 1-0 pic.twitter.com/8QbOkuQ39G— Claudio Echiverri 🇦🇷 (@Echiverri_C) March 14, 2025 Inter Miami took the lead in the 37th minute from the penalty spot, with Luis Suarez converting. Lionel Messi entered the match in the 53rd minute, replacing the Uruguayan striker, and managed to score in the second minute of stoppage time. He received a perfect through ball, made a well-timed run between two defenders, and with the goalkeeper rushing out too late, the Argentine star calmly slotted the ball into the net in his signature style. That marked the 853rd goal of his career.##NAJAVA_MECA_8780449##
