Inter Miami 2 Palmeiras 2: Messi's side through, blows chance to top Club World Cup group

New York Times

4 hours ago

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – Lionel Messi and Inter Miami have ultimately booked their place in the FIFA Club World Cup knockout stage, but they're left to wonder what could have been after letting a chance to win the group slip away.
Inter Miami blew a 2-0 lead to Brazil's Palmeiras at Hard Rock Stadium Monday night, conceding goals in the 80th and 87th minute and setting for a 2-2 draw. Instead of booking a knockout clash with Botafogo, Miami will instead have the daunting task of facing reigning UEFA Champions League winner PSG Sunday afternoon in Atlanta – a reunion for Messi with his former club.
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Nevertheless, after seeing its two other MLS counterparts, LAFC and Seattle, get eliminated, Miami continued carrying the flag for the league by advancing, which was far from a given after opening the competition with a 0-0 draw vs. Al Ahly.
Tadeo Allende (16th minute) and Luis Suárez (65th) scored on either side of halftime for Miami, which capitulated in the closing stages and settled for the single point after goals from Paulinho and Mauricio. By forcing the draw, Palmeiras wound up topping the group, with the absolutely wild simultaneous Group A between Porto and Al Ahly (a 4-4 draw at MetLife Stadium) ultimately resulting in both sides' elimination. Palmeiras advances to an all-Brazilian last-16 clash against Botafogo as its prize.
Here, The Athletic's Felipe Cardenas and James Horncastle break down the key talking points from a wild sequence of events in South Florida.
Instead of a matchup vs. Botafogo – which would have brought its own set of challenges – Miami played itself into a considerably more precarious spot by failing to defend its two-goal edge.
This will make the first time that Messi will face a team that he previously represented. The match up against Group B winner PSG will also reunite Messi with Luis Enrique, who coached the Argentine at Barcelona. Together they won nine major trophies in dominant fashion. PSG, despite losing in group play to Botafogo, has looked the part of favorites to win the Club World Cup, while Miami has overachieved. On paper it will be a massive mismatch between the super rich Qatari-owned club and an MLS side that is only five years old. The narratives will write themselves, though.
Messi has admitted that his time in Paris, in which he spent two years, was difficult for him and his family. He was consistently jeered by Paris supporters and he became a bit of a nemesis after Argentina defeated France in the 2022 World Cup final. Times have certainly changed for both PSG and Messi, but the reunion will be a fun storyline to follow. On a night of wild swings in Group A, Miami went from coasting into a more favorable path, to potentially hanging on to survival in the final minutes on Monday night, as Porto and Al Ahly traded goals at will. The cracks began to show, and PSG will not offer the same reprieve.
It is tempting to imagine Palmeiras' center back Murilo practicing it before leaving the team hotel for the Hard Rock stadium.
A last look in the mirror; the jump, the landing, the 'siuuuuuuu.' The former Lokomotiv Moscow defender had promised to celebrate like Cristiano Ronaldo if he scored against Messi's Inter Miami.
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'Yes. Yes, I'll do it,' Murilo dared. In the end, he didn't get the chance. The 28-year-old was substituted after 18 minutes for (Bruno) Fuchs sake.
It wasn't a mercy substitution from Palmeiras coach Abel Ferreira, though, as Murilo had suffered a muscle injury.
Messi had not made a point of humiliating Murilo for saying: 'I'm Team Ronaldo' on the eve of the game, but retribution or sorts took place organically, as he badly needed to recover ground after his center back partner got played by the excellent Suárez.
Palmeiras' decision to defend 1-v-1 at the back was exposed by the wily Uruguayan, who nudged his man and chested down a clearance from his own penalty area to send Allende through on goal.
Murilo gave chase, hoping Allende would stop and set to shoot when bearing down on Palmeiras' goalkeeper. Instead Murilo was face down on the turf, holding the back of his leg. Allende scored and the 'siuuuuu' he'd planned became an anguished 'nooooooo.'
The sales of Endrick and Vitor Reis, not to mention Estêvão's upcoming move to Chelsea, have given Palmeiras a depth Inter Miami can't afford, and it made the difference on Monday night.
Ferreira was able to affect the game from the bench in a way Javier Mascherano can only dream of. Seeing his team fall 2-0 down, each substitution Ferreira made helped claw Palmeiras back into the game.
The comeback started with tremendous combination from Allan Elias and Paulinho; a cute reverse ball tucked away in clinical fashion. The equalizer was an emphatic hit from fellow reserve Mauricio.
All of a sudden, Palmeiras went from the brink of going out of the competition to winning the group, as expected all along. It was a reminder of Ferreira's acumen, the greater financial might of the South American teams and the shallow nature of this Inter Miami squad.
Match 49: June 28, 12pm ET
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