Lionel Messi played the entire game despite a first-half injury scare, Benjamin Cremaschi broke a tie in the 59th minute and Inter Miami overcame an early two-goal deficit to beat Montreal 3-2 on Saturday night for its fifth consecutive Major League Soccer victory.
Quick Read
Messi Overcomes Injury Scare as Inter Miami Secures Fifth Consecutive MLS Win
- Context and Details:
- Lionel Messi played through a first-half injury scare to help Inter Miami rally from a two-goal deficit and defeat Montreal 3-2.
- The victory marked Inter Miami’s fifth straight in the Major League Soccer series and extended their unbeaten streak to seven games.
- Despite not scoring or assisting, Messi’s presence influenced the game, particularly after a brief exit due to a knee issue caused by a foul.
- Key Moments:
- Inter Miami reversed their fortunes after Messi returned to the field following his injury, with Matías Rojas and Luis Suarez scoring to level the match by halftime.
- Benjamin Cremaschi scored the decisive goal in the 59th minute, securing the win for Inter Miami.
- Significance:
- The match was Messi’s first appearance in Canada, drawing significant attention and a sellout crowd.
- Messi’s resilience and the team’s comeback underscore his impact and the growing fan excitement around Inter Miami’s season.
The Associated Press has the story:
Messi plays through a scare, Inter Miami rallies past Montreal 3-2 for 5th straight win
Newslooks- MONTREAL (AP) —
Lionel Messi played the entire game despite a first-half injury scare, Benjamin Cremaschi broke a tie in the 59th minute and Inter Miami overcame an early two-goal deficit to beat Montreal 3-2 on Saturday night for its fifth consecutive Major League Soccer victory.
Luis Suarez got his 11th goal of the season for Inter Miami, and Matías Rojas scored off a free kick. Jules-Anthony Vilsaint and Bryce Duke scored for Montreal (3-5-3).
Inter Miami (8-2-3) extended its unbeaten streak to seven matches (5-0-2) despite Messi being held without a goal or an assist for the first time in his nine MLS appearances this season. Inter Miami is 7-0-2 in those nine games; one of its losses came against Montreal in March, a game where Messi didn’t play.
Playing in Canada for the first time, Messi briefly left late in the first half after some sort of issue with his left knee after being fouled by defender George Campbell. The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner as the world’s best player went down immediately, holding his knee and writhing in pain.
Inter Miami’s medical staff went onto the field to treat Messi, who got up after about two minutes and walked to the Miami sideline. He was not subbed out, which allowed him a chance to return moments later.
And for whatever reason, the match changed in that moment.
Inter Miami was down 2-0 when Messi got hurt; it was 2-1 when he returned and tied moments after he got back onto the field. Rojas scored off a free kick — one that Messi would have ordinarily taken — to get Inter Miami on the board, and Suarez tapped in a goal off a corner kick late in first-half stoppage time.
Suarez became the third player in MLS history to score 11 goals in his first 800 minutes of a season, joining Mamadou Diallo (11 in 2000) and Ola Kamara (11 in 2021).
The go-ahead goal came when Rojas sent a ball into open space and Cremaschi ran it down — then made a second effort to nudge the ball just clear of two defenders and into the net for a 3-2 lead. Messi had two chances in the final minutes to extend the lead, both narrowly missing.
Hundreds of fans greeted Inter Miami when the team arrived at its hotel Friday night and Montreal, in part because of Messi joining Major League Soccer last summer, sold out its 15,000 season tickets for the first time since the club joined MLS in 2012. Messi has scored in 31 countries.
An announced sellout crowd of 19,619 spectators — including one dressed in a Messi tracksuit and wearing a goat mask in a nod to Messi ass the Greatest of All Time — attended the match.
