Latest news with #PumasUNAM
Mint
4 days ago
- Sport
- Mint
Why Lionel Messi missed Inter Miami's win over Pumas UNAM in Leagues Cup? Watch Argentine star's reaction from stands
Lionel Messi watched and cheered from the sidelines as his teammates Luis Suarez, Rodrigo De Paul and Tadeo Allende scored one each to help Inter Miami beat Pumas UNAM 3-1 on Wednesday night to advance in the knockout stages of the Leagues Cup. Inter Miami, with eight points from three matches in the Major League Soccer (MLS) Leagues Cup standings, are the first team from MLS to go through in the next round. Rodrigo De Paul, who joined Inter Miami last month, scored his first goal for the club in the 45th minute, thanks to an assist from Suarez. De Paul's goal leveled things up after Pumas UNAM took the lead though Jorge Ruvalcaba in the 34th. Messi's former Barcelona teammate, Suarez, put Inter Miami ahead when he converted a penalty kick in the 59th after a handball was called on Pumas defender Jose Caicedo in the penalty area. It was Suarez first goal since he scored in Inter Miami's Club World Cup match against Palmeiras on June 23. Allende finished Suarez's second assist of the night in the 69th. During the game, Messi looked relaxed and cheered for every goal, the reactions of which went viral. Messi didn't play the game due to an injury. The Argentine superstar is believed to have suffered a minor muscle injury in his right leg with no clear timeline for his return. Messi suffered the injury in the opening minutes of Inter Miami's win over Necaxa on Saturday. He is also likely to miss Inter Miami's upcoming clash against Orlando City. 'Messi underwent medical tests to evaluate the extent of the muscle discomfort he experienced during last night's Leagues Cup match against Necaxa, which forced him to leave the field,' Inter Miami said in a statement on their website on August 4. 'The results confirmed a minor muscle injury in his right leg. His medical clearance will depend on his clinical progress and response to treatment,' it added. So far, Messi has scored 19 goals and was involved in nine assists across 24 games for Inter Miami.
Miami Herald
4 days ago
- Sport
- Miami Herald
Suarez steps up in Messi's absence to send Inter Miami to Leagues Cup quarters
Inter Miami needed someone to step up in Lionel Messi's absence in order to avoid an early elimination from the Leagues Cup. Fellow superstar attacker Luis Suarez answered the call. Suarez scored a penalty kick and delivered two delightful assists to send Inter Miami through to the quarterfinals via a 3-1 home win over Mexican club Pumas UNAM on Wednesday night. The South Florida side came from behind to grab the group stage victory, as Suarez dished out helpers to Rodrigo De Paul and Tadeo Allende that were sandwiched around a goal of his own. Javier Mascherano's men finished 2-1-0 with eight points in the group stage of the Leagues Cup, and as a result will open the knockout phase by hosting a yet-to-be-determined Mexican opponent on either Aug. 19 or 20. Missing Messi due to the muscle injury sustained in last Saturday's 2-2 draw with Necaxa, Mascherano trotted his team out in a 4-3-3 formation that saw De Paul playing closer to Suarez. Pumas was the better team from the run of play in the first half, and took a lead in the 34th minute when U.S.-born attacker Jorge Ruvalcaba made a fantastic run in behind the defense to tuck away a lobbed pass from Pedro Vite. Inter Miami struggled to generate clear-cut chances in the first half, but found life as Suarez sparked the comeback in the 45th minute with an assist on Rodrigo De Paul's first goal for the Herons. Suarez got on the end of a precise long ball from Yannick Bright before curling a gorgeous cross from the left to De Paul, who tucked away a low effort to the right. Inter Miami thought it had claimed the lead two minutes after halftime when a quick free kick was played past a napping Pumas back line, but Suarez's cross-body sizzler was eventually whistled back for offside. No one would deny the Uruguayan striker on this day, though. After a handball was whistled against Pumas midfielder Jose Caicedo, Suarez stepped up to the spot and gave Inter Miami a 59th-minute lead via a gutsy and classy panenka down the middle. He celebrated his 10th tally of the year across all competitions in the same manner that he had on the negated finish from earlier. Suarez raced over to the sideline to put on a cowboy hat that read 'Delfi' — an apparent nod to his daughter Delfina, whose birthday was earlier this week — before blowing a kiss. Allende wasted a glorious chance to make it a two-goal advantage for Inter Miami in the 67th minute, attempting to chip a shot over that was saved well by goalkeeper Miguel Angel Paul Hernandez. Pumas starting netminder Keylor Navas was suspended for the game due the red card he received late in the last match vs. Atlanta United. Allende atoned for his miss two minutes later by racing onto an exquisite through ball from Suarez before rolling his open look into the back of the net. Inter Miami missed two other glorious chances to find the back of the net, with Allende and substitute Benjamin Cremaschi failing to capitalize on quality looks from in close. It hardly mattered, as the South Florida side prevailed four days before returning to regular-season action. Inter Miami will next return to MLS play and travel to face arch-rivals Orlando City on Sunday night at 8.
Malay Mail
5 days ago
- Sport
- Malay Mail
Messi ruled out of Inter Miami's Leagues Cup clash with Pumas due to muscle injury
MIAMI, Aug 6 — Lionel Messi will miss Inter Miami's crucial Leagues Cup match against Pumas UNAM due to a muscle issue, coach Javier Mascherano said yesterday. The Argentinian striker suffered what Mascherano called a 'minor muscle injury' in his upper right leg in Miami's win over Necaxa last Saturday. While there is no timetable for Messi's return, Mascherano was hopeful the star would soon be back on the field. 'Within the bad news, it's good news,' Mascherano told reporters. 'He usually recovers very well from injuries and above all, normally does with speed, so we will see. But clearly for tomorrow he is unavailable. But then we will see how he feels, how he progresses.' Messi, who has a league-best 18 goals in MLS matches this season, led Miami to the Leagues Cup crown in 2023 shortly after his arrival to the Herons. Inter Miami likely need a victory over Pumas in their group stage finale to reach the quarter-finals of the Leagues Cup, which features MLS and Mexican league squads. Should Miami reach the knockout stages, Messi would have two weeks to recover before the quarter-finals. Miami's next MLS match is set for Sunday against Orlando. — AFP
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Messi to miss Miami's Leagues Cup match against Pumas
Lionel Messi will miss Inter Miami's crucial Leagues Cup match against Pumas UNAM due to a muscle issue, coach Javier Mascherano said Tuesday. The Argentinian striker suffered what Mascherano called a "minor muscle injury" in his upper right leg in Miami's win over Necaxa last Saturday. While there is no timetable for Messi's return, Mascherano was hopeful the star would soon be back on the field. "Within the bad news, it's good news," Mascherano told reporters. "He usually recovers very well from injuries and above all, normally does with speed, so we will see. But clearly for tomorrow he is unavailable. But then we will see how he feels, how he progresses." Messi, who has a league-best 18 goals in MLS matches this season, led Miami to the Leagues Cup crown in 2023 shortly after his arrival to the Herons. Inter Miami likely need a victory over Pumas in their group stage finale to reach the quarter-finals of the Leagues Cup, which features MLS and Mexican league squads. Should Miami reach the knockout stages, Messi would have two weeks to recover before the quarter-finals. Miami's next MLS match is set for Sunday against Orlando. js/nf
Reuters
04-08-2025
- Sport
- Reuters
Inter Miami calls Lionel Messi's leg injury 'minor'
August 4 - A return date for Lionel Messi to the Inter Miami lineup is uncertain, but the Herons announced Sunday that the superstar's right leg injury isn't serious. Messi came out of Miami's Leagues Cup match against Necaxa on Saturday in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., in the 11th minute, shortly after getting hurt in a collision with two opponents. After Messi underwent medical tests, the team issued a statement on Sunday that read, in part, "The results confirmed a minor muscle injury in his right leg. His medical clearance will depend on his clinical progress and response to treatment." In Messi's absence, Inter Miami rallied late to equalize the match at 2-2, then prevailed 5-4 in a tiebreaking penalty-kick shootout. Through two Leagues Cup matches, Miami sits in second place in the MLS standings with one regulation win and one shootout win, good for five points. The top four of the 18 MLS clubs in the competition will advance to the quarterfinals, where they will be joined by the top four of the tournament's 18 Liga Mx clubs. The Herons conclude the group phase with a Wednesday home match at Pumas UNAM. Inter Miami resumes MLS regular-season action on Aug. 10 at Orlando City. Messi, 38, has 18 regular-season goals this year, tied for the MLS lead with Nashville SC's Sam Surridge. In Leagues Cup play, he assisted on both of Miami's goals in a 2-1 opening win over Atlas on Wednesday. An eight-time Ballon d'Or winner and a 2022 World Cup champion with Argentina, Messi is in his third season with Inter Miami. --Field Level Media
