GOAL! Samu makes no mistake from the spot!

New York Times

5 hours ago

Follow reaction from Atlanta where Lionel Messi led Inter Miami past Porto with a brilliant winning goal Getty Images
Lionel Messi has led Inter Miami to their first Club World Cup victory thanks to a brilliant second-half free kick against Porto.
The European side took the lead early on with Samu Aghehowa scoring from the penalty spot in the eighth minute. But, like in their first match, Miami were much improved in the second half.
Telasco Segovia scored a brilliant half volley before Lionel Messi magic from a free kick gave the MLS side the lead. And it was a lead they were able to protect, moving them onto four points in this tournament and in a great position to make the knockouts.
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Inter Miami 2 Porto 1: Messi's magical free kick lights up Club World Cup in comeback win Connections: Sports Edition Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Getty Images
8' Inter Miami 0-1 Porto
No penalty-saving heroics from Oscar Ustari this time! The Inter Miami goalkeeper got a hand to the penalty down to his right, but couldn't quite keep it out.
A much-needed fast start for Porto, but a nightmare one for the MLS side.
7' Inter Miami 0-0 Porto
As expected every time a referee is sent to the VAR monitor, the on-field decision has been overturned.
Porto have a penalty and Inter Miami manager Javier Mascherano is not happy.
Samu Aghehowa will take...
6' Inter Miami 0-0 Porto
The Porto staff and players were incensed that they didn't get a penalty when Joao Mario was bundled over in the penalty area by Noah Allen.
It certainly looked like a foul and the referee has been sent to the VAR monitor for a second look... Getty Images
3' Inter Miami 0-0 Porto
We didn't see much at all from Luis Suarez in the first game of the tournament, but he was straight into the action in this one.
He made a good run into the box and was picked out by a delicate chipped pass from Lionel Messi, but struggled to generate any power at full stretch and Claudio Ramos was able to deny him.
The replays showed that Suarez was probably offside, so it may not have counted.
1' Inter Miami 0-0 Porto
The ball is rolling in Atlanta for this really important game in Group A.
Porto are the favourites to win, but there is one man on the Inter Miami team that I'm sure would have something to say about that...
Messi gets the loudest ovation during the awkward player walk outs. Mercedes-Benz Stadium is domed ground so even with the empty seats that many views will notice, it's still a very loud environment. Getty Images
More sheepish player walk-outs at this Club World Cup as they all walk out of the tunnel individually.
As you can imagine, there was a massive cheer from the supporters when Lionel Messi made his way out onto the turf.
It looks like another sparse crowd inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium, unfortunately. Getty Images
The first victory in Group A at this Club World Cup belongs to Palmeiras!
After the weather delay, the Brazilians came out and defended their 2-0 lead to move to the top of the group. That makes it extremely unlikely for Al Ahly to progress to the knockouts.
A win for either Inter Miami or Porto here would be huge...
So many people are here to see Messi, but to Jack's point, I admit that I'm excited to see Rodrigo Mora up close. Huge talent. Getty Images
Interested to get another look at Rodrigo Mora this afternoon. He didn't have the best game against Palmeiras but expectations are high for what he can do this tournament.
He is tricky, wriggly, with a subterranean centre of gravity. Given how much space Inter Miami afforded Al-Ahly's forwards, he may enjoy himself here. Getty Images
Jordi Alba is in the squad but misses out on the starting XI for the second consecutive game.
Javier Mascherano told reporters yesterday that he had devised a plan for the former Barcelona full-back, teasing that Alba could make an appearance in the second half. Alba's absence is a big blow for Miami's chances today — his chemistry with Messi remains intact in the attacking third. Getty Images
The ride over on the train was littered with pink Messi Miami jerseys and quite a few Argentina No. 10 shirts.
The few times that Inter Miami has visited Atlanta for MLS matches, the crowd has been relatively favorable for the boys in pink. But will today's attendance break the 22,000+ that saw Chelsea defeat LAFC Monday?
Inter Miami opened the tournament on Saturday evening with a Group A clash at Hard Rock Stadium, but it wasn't quite the start they would have wanted.
Their first-half performance against Al Ahly was poor and they were fortunate that their Egyptian opponents were wasteful in attack. That said, Miami were much improved in the second half as Lionel Messi grabbed the game by the scruff of the neck.
In the end, it was a game dominated by the goalkeepers as Mohamed El Shenawy kept out a string of goalbound efforts while Oscar Ustari was awarded the Player of the Match award after saving a penalty before half-time.
It felt like both teams needed victory from that game to have a chance of making it through, so a draw was not an ideal opening result.
As the only European team in Group A, Porto were fancied as the favourites to make it into the knockouts from there, but they didn't get off to the best start against Palmeiras on Sunday.
In fact, they were actually dominated by their Brazilian opponents and were fortunate to come away from MetLife Stadium with a share of the points.
Porto goalkeeper Claudio Ramos was the stand-out performer, which explains just how threatening Palmeiras were in forward areas.
Despite that underwhelming draw, they will be confident of making it through from Group A. Getty Images
No changes made by Porto for their second Group A match: Starting XI: Ramos; Martim, Ze Pedro, Marcano; Mario, Varela, Veiga, Moura; Vieira, Mora; Samu. Getty Images
Here is how Inter Miami will start today's game: Starting XI: Ustari; Fray, Weigandt, Falcon, Allen; Busquets, Allende; Cremaschi, Messi, Segovia; Suarez. Getty Images
Lots of discussion over the past few days over the weather in the United States.
It was very hot in New Jersey earlier on with fans desperate to shield from the sun at MetLife Stadium.
Well, that very quickly changed. It is still warm but thunderstorms have delayed the second half.
The Palmeiras players will be enjoying the break more than their opponents as the Brazilians scored twice in the space of 10 second-half minutes to take a commanding lead. Getty Images
It is fair to say the inclusion of Lionel Messi's Inter Miami as host representatives at this Club World Cup raised a few eyebrows.
Inter Miami qualified after winning the 2024 Supporters' Shield, which is awarded to the MLS team with the best regular-season record — but that is not the national championship, which is decided by the subsequent play-off tournament and eventually sees the MLS Cup awarded to the winners.
In past Club World Cup editions, the host nation's top league champions were awarded a bonus qualification spot as hosts. Inter Miami were knocked out in the first round by Atlanta United, with LA Galaxy going on to beat New York Red Bulls in the final.
Still, the bonus is Miami's inclusion means Messi and his former Barcelona team-mates Luis Suarez, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba, all get the chance to be involved in the tournament. It's what the world would want, right?
Let's remind ourselves as not every team has booked their place at the new format of the Club World Cup in the same way.
Portuguese giants Porto are here as the fifth-best ranked team in the UEFA coefficient (based on rankings that cover a four-year period from 2021 to 2024).
Meanwhile Inter Miami, not without controversy, qualified as the 'host club'.
Stick around and we'll explain that in more detail...