Inter Miami is not having a good time and it seems that losing the Leagues Cup final and all the controversy surrounding it is taking its toll on Lionel Messi and his teammates. The club returned to MLS action and was defeated 3-0 by Charlotte FC, extending their losing streak.
The most shocking moment of the match was when Lionel Messi stood in front of the ball from 12 yards to do what he has everyone used to: score a goal, this time from the penalty spot. However, the Argentine showed that he is human and ended up missing it after a Panenka attempt.
Messi’s big mistake
In a team where everything was tense after the Leagues Cup final, Messi seemed to be the right man to lead them to another victory, but this time it was not so. The striker did not have a good day and missed a penalty that could have changed the course of the match.
In the 29th minute of the first half, Messi stood in front of the ball to take a penalty that could have opened the scoring, however, the Argentine star attempted a Panenka that did not work and the opposing goalkeeper saved it.
Javier Mascherano’s defense of Messi
At the end of the match, Inter Miami coach Javier Mascherano analyzed the match and backed Messi despite missing the penalty.
“We can’t hold on to the penalty. If there is someone who helped us during the season, it is Leo. If you expect me to come here and judge my players, you won’t find that. The person most responsible for the bad results is me.”
In addition, Mascherano praised the attitude of his team: “The team had attitude and tried. It was not one of the best nights, they hit us at the right moments and we could not lift it”.
On September 16, Inter Miami will have a new opportunity to return to winning ways, as they will be at home against Seattle Sounders, a well-known rival in recent times and where fans will hope to take a small revenge after the Leagues Cup final.
Read the full article here
