Although forward captain Lionel Messi did not score or assist, Inter Miami came back to beat Montreal 3-2 on matchday 13 of the MLS to continue leading the standings.
This was the first time the pink jersey club captain came to Canada to compete and he was warmly received by the Montreal fans. However, Inter Miami had a difficult trip to the Montreal Impact camp, allowing the home team to take a two-goal lead in just 10 minutes.
In the 22nd minute, taking advantage of a passing error by the Inter Miami player, Montreal organized a strong counterattack, and the forward wearing Duke’s number 10 jersey surpassed goalkeeper Callender, opening the score 1-0 for the home team. In the 32nd minute, continuing the counterattack from the left wing, Vilsaint received the ball in a favorable position and beat Callender to double the difference.
Receiving two buckets of cold water complicated Miami’s game a bit. However, they quickly tied it before the first half was over. In the 44th minute, Matías Rojas scored a great goal by converting a free kick. Just 4 minutes later, on a corner kick, Luis Suárez finished from close range, evening the score at 2-2. This goal helped Suárez rise to the top of the list of top scorers with 11 goals, equaling Christian Benteke, just behind him is forward captain Messi with 10 goals and 9 assists.
Messi was silent, but Luis Suárez still scored for Miami.
Inter Miami finished the match with a final goal in the 59th minute. From Messi’s dribble in midfield, he passed to Rojas, and the striker quickly passed the ball to Cremaschi to run towards the home goalkeeper. The midfielder wearing the number 30 shirt deftly escaped the defender’s clutches before sending the ball into the net to make the score 3-2.
During Rojas’ goal for Miami, Messi was not on the field. The Argentine striker received a foul from his rival in the situation that led to Rojas’ direct free kick and needed attention from the medical team on the field.
Under MLS rules, a player who is in pain and being treated by the medical team must remain off the field for two minutes before returning to play, and this infuriated Messi when he complained about having to wait.
Messi had a good performance against Montreal. However, Messi also had a not so good match in which he left a good impression with 7 successful dribbles and was in very good physical shape compared to the beginning of the season. This is also good news for the Argentine team as the 2024 Copa América approaches and its captain is in the best condition.
With a 3-2 victory over Montreal, Inter Miami continues to sit atop the 2024 MLS table with 27 points. They will continue to have a trip to the city of Orlando on May 16.
