Two years after landing in the MLS and accumulating disappointments, Lionel Messi gave Inter Miami its first league title this Saturday by beating Vancouver 3-1, in which it was the farewell to professional football for the Spaniards Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba.
First modification: 07/12/2025 - 00:40
It was a sunny and hot afternoon in Fort Lauderdale, north of Miami, ideal for the MLS Cup match. In addition to the farewell of Busquets and Messi, there was a new duel between Messi and the German Thomas Müeller, captain of the Canadians.
Fate seemed to have conspired so that this time, Inter could achieve success. Fortune smiled on him as soon as he started, with the 1-0 in the 8th minute thanks to an own goal by Vancouver in an unlucky action by Colombian Édier Ocampo.
Messi started the play with a great pass to Rodrigo de Paul who opened the right wing for Tadeo Allende, who put in a cross that had Matteo Silvetti as its goal but that Ocampo pushed without Yohei Takaoka being able to do anything.
That right wing with Messi and Allende created danger in the initial stretch of the game. Silvetti had the second in his boots in another Allende cross, but the ball slipped between his legs.
From there, Vancouver began to overcome the hostile environment of Miami, approaching Rocco Ríos' goal with great danger and dominating Javier Mascherano's men.
In the 33rd minute, Ríos stopped a ball combed by Brian White, saving Inter for the first time this afternoon.
He was back in the photo five minutes later, blocking Emmanuel Sabbi's close-range shot. And in the 41st minute he saved a header from Müeller for a Vancouver team that insistently sought an equalizer.
Vancouver stood up
After the restart, Vancouver maintained the pressure with which it had closed the first half until it collected the prize of the tie in the 60th minute.
Sabbi started on the right and gave way to White on the front line who, with his back to the goal, set up Ali Ahmed, who scored at the short post and converted after an error by the Argentine goalkeeper Ríos, whose save ended up in the back of the net.
With almost no time to assimilate the tie, Sabbi made a play in which he broke lines, stood in the danger zone and took a shot that hit both posts, very fortunately for Inter.
Just at that moment, Vancouver's best, Inter Miami took the lead again. Messi stole a ball in a dangerous area from Andrés Cubas and gave it to Rodrigo de Paul who was left alone against Takaoka to make the score 2-1. Minute 71.
There the game began to slip away from Vancouver, which did not dominate again or enjoy opportunities while the nerves took over its players.
Busquets and Messi, in their last dance, controlled the passing of the minutes until in added time, with the stands overturned, the Argentine star gave his second lethal assist of the afternoon, this one for Allende, who sealed the score 3-1.
There was no time for more. The pharaonic project of David Beckham and the Mas brothers, which recreated Josep Guardiola's Barcelona in Miami and in the MLS, thus achieved its greatest sporting success five years after its debut.
(EFE)
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