Lionel Messi continued his incredible goal-scoring streak on Tuesday, helping Inter Miami defeat Philadelphia Union 4-1 to advance to the Leagues Cup final.
The Argentine superstar increased his total to nine goals in six games for Miami in a fun semi-final at Subaru Park in Philadelphia.
The additional goals for Miami were scored by Venezuelan international Josef Martinez, former Barcelona teammate Jordi Alba, and substitute David Ruiz, while Alejandro Bedoya scored the only goal for outmatched Philadelphia.
As a result, Messi is now preparing for his 42nd career final, which will take place on Saturday when Miami plays Nashville SC in a World Cup-style event featuring teams from Mexico and Major League Soccer.
With a 2-0 victory over Mexican later on Tuesday, Nashville secured a spot in the championship.
Miami, meanwhile, was left to enjoy their victory and qualification for the CONCACAF Champions Cup regional event the following season, which might pave the way for entry into FIFA’s expanded Club World Cup in 2025.
“Our goal was to qualify for international competition next season, and we’ve done that tonight,” said Miami head coach Gerardo ‘Tata’ Martino.
The Concacaf Champions Cup qualification was the most crucial accomplishment, and now we must gear up to win the competition, which has us feeling very motivated and confident.
The semi-final match between Miami and Philadelphia was theoretically intended to be Messi’s hardest test since joining Miami from Paris Saint-Germain on July 21.
Miami is at the bottom of the Eastern Conference rankings, while one of the strongest MLS teams, Philadelphia, is third.
early attack
Additionally, the Union have been virtually unbeatable at home, having suffered only one loss in their previous 38 contests at Subaru Park.
But just three minutes after the game began, Miami took the lead, leaving the home team in shambles.
Sergii Kryvtsov of Ukraine played a long ball forward that caused confusion in the Union defense. Martinez pounced on the pass and fired a shot past diving Andre Blake of Philadelphia.
Five minutes later, when Daniel Gazdag of Hungary was through on goal but shot straight at Miami goalie Drake Callender, Philadelphia could have equalized.
After 19 minutes, Gazdag had a second golden opportunity, but his curling effort from the edge of the box went just wide.
If that opportunity gave Philadelphia hope, that hope was short-lived when Messi scored again to punish sloppy Union defense.
When Damion Lowe was taken off guard, Martinez twisted away from him to free Messi, who had been given much too much time and space to strike a ferocious low shot from outside the box into the bottom corner and past Blake.
Philadelphia reacted by applying consistent pressure, and on the 29th minute, Gazdag once more tried Callender from long range with a rasping attempt.
Even though Union had a lot of possession and territory, Miami scored the game-winning goal just before halftime.
Robert Taylor, a Finland international, kept possession of the ball well in the middle of the field and took his time before finding an overlapping Jordi Alba.
The former Barcelona player maintained control and scored with precision to put Miami up 3-0 at the half.
The second half saw Philadelphia coach Jim Curtin abandon prudence and change his formation to include an additional attacker.
But when Chris Donovan rounded Callender on minute 55 and blasted over the crossbar, Union blew two wonderful opportunities.
On the 66th minute, Jakob Glesnes also blew a golden opportunity from close range by hooking over the bar.
Philadelphia had a chance to rally when Bedoya sprinted in from a frantic corner in the 73rd minute, but Miami ended any hopes of a comeback when Ruiz scored.
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