Messi's Magic Sparks Inter Miami to Commanding 3-1 Victory Over LA Galaxy
Lionel Messi rediscovered his scoring touch upon returning from injury, as Inter Miami CF recovered from their 4–1 defeat to Orlando City SC with a commanding 3–1 victory over LA Galaxy on Saturday evening.
Although Messi and his Argentine teammate Rodrigo De Paul began the match on the bench, both players were introduced at the interval, allowing the Herons to seize control of the proceedings.
Nevertheless, Miami's triumph was far from straightforward. Following Jordi Alba's opener from a Sergio Busquets through pass in the 43rd minute, the Galaxy restored parity in the 59th minute when Joseph Paintsil weaved past three defenders before finding the net from a tight angle, beating goalkeeper Oscar Ustari.
However, true to form this campaign, Messi produced a magical moment to rescue Miami, evading two defenders before unleashing a powerful left-footed shot past Novak Mivovic for his 19th MLS regular season strike.
Luis Suárez sealed the victory in the 89th minute, coolly converting his sixth goal of the campaign after a brilliant combination between De Paul and Messi created the opportunity.
This result elevates Inter Miami to 45 points, maintaining their pursuit of the Eastern Conference summit while providing valuable momentum ahead of their Leagues Cup quarterfinal clash against Liga MX side Tigres UANL on Wednesday.
Below are the individual player assessments from tonight's encounter.
Inter Miami Player Ratings vs. LA Galaxy
Player Ratings Provided by FotMob
Players | Ratings (Out of 10) |
|---|---|
GK: Oscar Ustari | 7.0 |
LB: Jordi Alba | 8.7 |
CB: Maxi Falcón | 7.1 |
CB: Gonzalo Lujan | 6.6 |
RB: Marcelo Weigandt | 7.0 |
CDM: Sergio Busquets | 7.7 |
CDM: Benjamin Cremaschi | 6.6 |
LM: Fafa Picault | 7.7 |
CM: Telasco Segovia | 6.6 |
LM: Tadeo Allende | 6.7 |
ST: Luis Suárez | 8.7 |
SUB: Lionel Messi (46' for Segovia) | 8.6 |
SUB: Rodrigo De Paul (46' for Allende) | N/A |
SUB: Yannick Bright (77' for Cremaschi) | N/A |
SUB: Baltasar Rodriguez (77' for Picault) | N/A |
SUB: Noah Allen (90' for Suárez) | N/A |
LA Galaxy Player Ratings vs. Inter Miami
Player Ratings Provided by FotMob
Players | Ratings (Out of 10) |
|---|---|
GK: Novak Micovic | 6.1 |
LB: John Nelson | 5.4 |
CB: Edwin Cerrillo | 5.5 |
CB: Zanka | 6.0 |
RB: Miki Yamane | 5.8 |
CDM: Elijah Wynder | 6.3 |
CDM: Isaiah Parente | 7.6 |
RM: Gabriel Pec | 6.6 |
CM: Marco Reus | 6.0 |
LM: Diego Fagundez | 6.6 |
ST: Joseph Paintsil | 8.2 |
SUB: Matheus Nascimento (46' for Wynder) | N/A |
SUB: Julian Audé (79' for Fagundez) | 6.5 |
SUB: Lucas Sanabria (79' for Parente) | 6.0 |
SUB: Mauricio Cuevas (79' for Pec) | 6.1 |
SUB: Christian Ramirez (87' for Reus) | N/A |