logo
Messi returns to MLS with spectacular double in Inter's victory vs Montreal

Messi returns to MLS with spectacular double in Inter's victory vs Montreal

Gulf Today10 hours ago
Lionel Messi scored two brilliant goals to lift Inter Miami to a 4-1 victory over Montreal in Miami's return to Major League Soccer action on Saturday in the wake of their elimination from the Club World Cup.
Miami were playing their first MLS game in more than a month. They had advanced past the first phase of the Club World Cup but fell 4-0 to Paris Saint-Germain in the round of 16 last week.
Messi made sure there was no lingering let-down for Javier Mascherano's side, who are aiming to improve on their curent sixth place in the Eastern Conference with 32 points from 17 matches.
'It is a great night, we took the three points that were very necessary to start thinking about the MLS again,' Mascherano said. 'It is never easy to reintegrate into the competition after the Club World Cup, and the players have done it perfectly.'
Messi was a key figure throughout, although it was his miscue that led to the first goal for Montreal.
Lionel Messi celebrates after scoring a goal against Montreal during their MLS game. AP
His backpass fell right in front of Montreal's Prince Owusu, who fired a left-footed shot past goalkeeper Oscar Ustari to make it 1-0 after two minutes.
Messi more than atoned. In the 33rd minute, Messi found Tadeo Allende outside the area and Allende chipped a shot over Montreal goalkeeper Jonathan Sirios.
In the 40th minute Messi conjured his trademark magic, cutting in from the right corner of the box, eluding Fernando Alvarez and curling the ball in at the far post for a goal that gave Miami a 2-1 halftime lead.
Telasco Segovia made it 3-1 in the 60th minute with a blast from outside the area that hit the crossbar and bounced into the net.
Agencies
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Coach turns underdogs Fluminense into Club World Cup challengers
Coach turns underdogs Fluminense into Club World Cup challengers

Khaleej Times

time3 hours ago

  • Khaleej Times

Coach turns underdogs Fluminense into Club World Cup challengers

Brazilian soccer's ultimate showman Renato Portaluppi has transformed Club World Cup underdogs Fluminense from relegation battlers to giant-killers in three months, setting up a blockbuster semifinal with Chelsea on Tuesday. The charismatic 62-year-old, known as Renato Gaucho, has helped them defy the odds to knock out Champions League runners-up Inter Milan in the last 16 and Al-Hilal in the quarterfinals with his trademark extravagant guidance from the touchline. Portaluppi was one of Brazilian soccer's most popular and polarising figures before taking over a Fluminense team that had barely avoided relegation in the Brazilian league last year. Now his standing has grown stronger after guiding one of the tournament's biggest underdogs this far. The former striker, who scored almost 200 goals in a career spanning two decades, has never been short of confidence or controversy. A textbook egomaniac, Portaluppi once declared that he was "better than Cristiano Ronaldo." His playing heroics included scoring with his belly one of the most iconic goals in the country's history - the winner that gave Fluminense the 1995 Rio de Janeiro championship in a breathtaking 3-2 derby victory over Romario's Flamengo. The next morning, he graced the front page of Brazil's most popular newspaper wearing a crown with a sceptre in one hand and a ball in the other under the headline 'King of Rio.' A decade earlier, he was the hero of his childhood club Gremio, guiding them to their first Copa Libertadores and Intercontinental Cup titles as a young player. From humble beginnings, he bought a house for each of his 11 siblings with the bonus he received. Over 30 years later, Portaluppi became the first Brazilian to adorn his living room with a Libertadores trophy as a player and another as a coach, guiding Gremio to the South American title in 2017 after winning the Brazilian Cup the previous year, and ending a 15-year title drought for his beloved club. But Portaluppi's career has been marked by dramatic ups and downs due to his strong personality and emotional outbursts. He was famously excluded from Brazil's World Cup squad in 1986 for allegedly leaving the training camp to go partying, and was later kicked out of Botafogo after organising a barbecue at his home for the opposition Flamengo squad after a humiliating defeat in the final of the Brazilian championship. A coach since 2000, Portaluppi is an exceptional motivator, which is arguably why he has experienced great success in knockout tournaments but has never claimed the Brazilian league, the big trophy that he has yet to win in his country. Portaluppi has been a great opponent of the latest trend towards having foreign coaches in Brazilian soccer, arguing that the clubs have more patience with outsiders, giving them more time to work. Critics say he improvises too much with his tactical schemes and does not put enough thought and study into his football. But Portaluppi has transformed Fluminense with an attacking 4-2-3-1 system and high-pressure style that he calls "creating chaos", which has defined their campaign in the United States. He has Fluminense playing with a grit and determination they will display against Chelsea as they try to continue their improbable Club World Cup run.

Messi returns to MLS with spectacular double in Inter's victory vs Montreal
Messi returns to MLS with spectacular double in Inter's victory vs Montreal

Gulf Today

time10 hours ago

  • Gulf Today

Messi returns to MLS with spectacular double in Inter's victory vs Montreal

Lionel Messi scored two brilliant goals to lift Inter Miami to a 4-1 victory over Montreal in Miami's return to Major League Soccer action on Saturday in the wake of their elimination from the Club World Cup. Miami were playing their first MLS game in more than a month. They had advanced past the first phase of the Club World Cup but fell 4-0 to Paris Saint-Germain in the round of 16 last week. Messi made sure there was no lingering let-down for Javier Mascherano's side, who are aiming to improve on their curent sixth place in the Eastern Conference with 32 points from 17 matches. 'It is a great night, we took the three points that were very necessary to start thinking about the MLS again,' Mascherano said. 'It is never easy to reintegrate into the competition after the Club World Cup, and the players have done it perfectly.' Messi was a key figure throughout, although it was his miscue that led to the first goal for Montreal. Lionel Messi celebrates after scoring a goal against Montreal during their MLS game. AP His backpass fell right in front of Montreal's Prince Owusu, who fired a left-footed shot past goalkeeper Oscar Ustari to make it 1-0 after two minutes. Messi more than atoned. In the 33rd minute, Messi found Tadeo Allende outside the area and Allende chipped a shot over Montreal goalkeeper Jonathan Sirios. In the 40th minute Messi conjured his trademark magic, cutting in from the right corner of the box, eluding Fernando Alvarez and curling the ball in at the far post for a goal that gave Miami a 2-1 halftime lead. Telasco Segovia made it 3-1 in the 60th minute with a blast from outside the area that hit the crossbar and bounced into the net. Agencies

Football: Bayern confirms Musiala fibula frame, sidelined 'for a long time'
Football: Bayern confirms Musiala fibula frame, sidelined 'for a long time'

Al Etihad

timea day ago

  • Al Etihad

Football: Bayern confirms Musiala fibula frame, sidelined 'for a long time'

6 July 2025 19:21 MUNICH (dpa)Bayern Munich's Jamal Musiala has fractured his fibula and dislocated his ankle in a Club World Cup quarter-final against Paris Saint-Germain and will be sidelined "for a long time", the club confirmed on said that Musiala was returning from the tournament in the United States on Sunday and would then soon undergo sustained the injury in his left leg after being hit by PSG goalkeeper Ginaluigi Donnarumma late in the first half of their match PSG won 2-0 on Saturday. 'This serious injury and the long absence are a real shock for Jamal and all of us. Everyone knows how immensely important Jamal is for our game and what a central role he plays for our team,' Bayern board member for sport Max Eberl said.'What's more, the human impact is enormously bitter, we all feel for him: Jamal has just come back from injury and will now miss a long time again. ' He will get everything he needs from us. We will support him intensively and be by his side and are already looking forward to seeing him back on the pitch."

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store