Less than a month after his first game with the team, Lionel Messi guided Inter Miami to their first cup on Saturday night as the Florida outfit beat Nashville on penalties in the League Cup Grand Final.
It took a very long penalty shootout (11 rounds) to decide a winner after the two teams were neutralized 1-1 after 90 minutes of regulation time.
It was poor Nashville goalie Elliott Panicco who missed the very last penalty of the session, securing Miami’s win. It is particularly sad for Panicco, who has shown a good game overall so far.
This is Messi’s 44th trophy in his professional career, which makes him the most successful player in history. It is also the first-ever in Inter Miami’s history to begin operations in MLS in 2020.
Another “Golazo”
The Argentine maestro was at the center of the action throughout the match, scoring his side’s only goal in regulation time, a real gem he knows the secret of, in the 23rd minute (seen in the main video).
It was his tenth goal in seven games in this competition.
Nashville then held out until the end of the first half before taking a commanding lead in the second half. Winger Fafa Picault used the yellow men’s rebound to equalize in the 57th minute. The remainder of the period was down to Miami goaltender Drake Callender, who made several key saves and to whom his teammates owe a debt of gratitude.
In the penalty shoot-out that followed, Callender put in a solid performance, even allowing himself to score the last goal for his team before stopping Panicco’s final shot.
It ends a colorful tournament brightened by the arrival of Messi, who set Inter Miami, bottom of the MLS regular season, on an irresistible path to the title.
Regular MLS activities resume tomorrow (Sunday) including a clash between CF Montreal and Toronto FC.