Inter Miami drew 2-2 against Austin in the opening of their new permanent stadium, called Nu Stadium for sponsorship reasons, in a match particularly focused on the pre-match party, and in which the Lionel Messi-led club did not wake up until the second half.
Inter Miami enjoyed the better chances in the second 45 minutes and came close to victory with a disallowed goal for Luis Suarez in the 90th minute, but his offside position ruled the goal out.
Earlier, Messi equalized with a header after Austin’s initial goal, but a slip by him led to the Texans’ second goal early in the second half. The night revolved, perhaps too much, around the inauguration of the stadium, an event for which Inter Miami spared no effort.
The party included the singing of the anthem by singer Marc Anthony, fireworks and some words from the club’s co-founders, brothers Jorge and Jose Mas and David Beckham, which delayed the start of the match by half an hour.
It felt like the opening was the central event for Inter Miami, and while Austin warmed up on the pitch, the three Miami club owners occupied the half intended for their players’ warm-up
So it was not surprising that the Texans took five minutes to become the first team to score at the Nu Stadium, after a corner kick that was headed into the net by Brazilian Guilherme Biro.
Messi’s quick response
Messi responded almost immediately, when he started and finished the move that led to the equaliser, opening up to Ian Fray and heading home his cross seconds later. The Argentine, who Beckham described before the game as “the best player in the history of this sport” was once again the cornerstone of Inter Miami.
Although this time he was also behind Austin’s second goal, after a loss of the ball in the second half that started a counterattack that was comfortably finished by the newly entered Jayden Nelson.
It took a while to arrive, but the second goal had been hovering around the Inter Miami area throughout the first half, especially when a shot from Uzuni went close to the top corner, and then Facundo Torres hit the post with a shot from the penalty spot.
Defensive security was not a strong point for either team during the night, and chances came thick and fast between the penalty areas, highlighting the fragility of both backlines.
Half an hour from the end, a double shot from Inter Miami thwarted by the opposing goalkeeper, followed by a back-heel shot from Austin in the six-yard box that missed the target, moments before a Messi individual effort, when he cut inside three opponents before crashing his shot into the goalkeeper, was evidence of this.
With Inter Miami in siege mode looking for the equalizer, the second goal came in the 81st minute, from Luis Suarez, who had come on eight minutes earlier as a substitute. A corner kick by Mateo Silvetti was headed to the far post by German Berterame and the Uruguayan finished unopposed from close range.
Suarez almost became the hero when he pushed into the net in the 90th minute the rebound of a free-kick taken by Messi that hit the crossbar, but his offside position left Inter without completing the party in their new home.
This result leaves Inter Miami fourth in the East with 11 points, while Austin is 10th in the West with six points.Technical sheet:2. Inter Miami: Dayne St.Clair; Ian Fray (Gonzalo Lujan, m.46), Maximiliano Falcon, Micael, Noah Allen German Berterame m.58); Tadeo Allende, Rodrigo De Paul, David Ayala (Yannick Bright m.58), Telasco Segovia (Luis Suarez, m.73); Leo Messi y Mateo Silvetti (Daniel Pinter, m.87).Coach: Javier Mascherano.2. Austin FC: Brad Stuver; Jon Gallagher, Oleksandr Svatok, Brendan Hines-Ike, Guilherme Biro (Jon Bell, 68); Facundo Torres (Jayden Nelson), Nicolas Dubersarky, Ilie Sanchez (Besard Sabovic, 68), Joseph Rosales (Zan Kolmanic 80), Myrto Uzuni and Christian Ramirez (Calvin Fodrey, 76).Coach: Nico Estevez.Goals: 0-1, 5th minute: Guilherme Biro. 1-1, 10th minute: Lionel Messi. 1-2, 53rd minute: Jayden Nelson. 2-2, 81st minute: Luis SuarezReferee: Allen Chapman. He cautioned Maximiliano Falcon and Yannick Bright of Inter Miami.Incidents: MLS matchday six match played at the Nu Stadium in Miami.
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