During Argentina’s World Cup qualifier against Bolivia in La Paz on Tuesday, Lionel Messi was not on the field. Instead, he watched the game from the bench while his teammates competed.
Since Lionel Messi, the renowned Argentinian football star, joined Inter Miami in the United States, the team faced a significant setback with their first notable loss to Atlanta United, resulting in a 5-2 defeat. Messi’s absence was due to fatigue, as reported by AFP, stemming from a demanding schedule of matches since his debut with Miami in late July.
Despite not participating, the 36-year-old athlete was present on the bench during Argentina’s World Cup qualifier against Bolivia in La Paz the previous Tuesday, showing his support for his teammates.
Messi had been substituted in the final minutes of a 1-0 victory over Ecuador on September 7, in which he scored the decisive goal, without any injury reports. Although Miami had previously secured a 3-2 victory against Sporting Kansas City the week before, the outcome was notably different this time under the guidance of Gerardo ‘Tata’ Martino.
Miami initially took the lead in the 25th minute with an impressive goal by the in-form Ecuadorean striker, Leonardo Campana. However, Atlanta responded emphatically with three goals in just eight minutes.
French midfielder Tristan Muyamba’s header, which struck the post and was ruled as a goal by the assistant referee, was followed by an own goal by Miami defender Kamal Miller, who deflected Brazilian winger Xande Silva’s cross into the net. Atlanta continued to exploit Miami’s defensive vulnerabilities, with Brooks Lennon adding a third goal in the 44th minute.
Miami managed to narrow the gap by scoring in the 54th minute, with Campana confidently converting a penalty after Tomas Aviles’ shot hit an Atlanta defender’s arm. Despite their second-half efforts, Miami struggled to maintain momentum, missing the influence of Messi. Atlanta capitalized on counter-attacks, scoring two more goals through Giorgos Giakoumakis and Tyler Wolff, ultimately sealing a 5-2 victory.
A Lionel Messi-less Inter Miami suffered their first defeat since he joined the club 😬 pic.twitter.com/BmBjK5f6WI
— GOAL (@goal) September 17, 2023
This defeat leaves Miami near the bottom of the Eastern Conference, trailing D.C. United by six points, who occupy the ninth spot in the playoff standings.
In other matches, the ‘Hudson River derby’ between New York City and New York Red Bulls ended in a goalless draw. Later on Saturday, Los Angeles FC hosted their cross-city rivals, LA Galaxy, in their derby match. Additionally, the Philadelphia Union, last year’s MLS runners-up, hosted the Eastern Conference leaders, Cincinnati.
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