A round mountain of emotions, video revision checks, scratches on the ground and another legendary performance of the goat made an exciting competition in the quarter -final decision of the Concacaf Champions of Wednesday between Inter Miami Cf and Lafc.
At the whistle, Lionel Messi had done what he had so many times before, scoring two goals and helping another to fuel the superb 3-1 return victory of Inter Miami (3-2 aggregate) on Lafc in the 2 leg at Chase Stadium.
“We wanted to reach the semi-finals and I think it was apparent,” said head coach Javier Mascherano after the match. “With errors and good times, in the end, we wanted it more and we did it. I said (club owner) Jorge Mas than for a return like this, luck must be on your side, and we had it.
“This is why this sport is so beautiful. I want to thank the players for their efforts, for dealing with adversity after receiving a goal five minutes after the game and having a difficult task in front of them. They thought they could run it and they did it.”
Messi Book
Inter Miami has found their CCC campaign on the strings after Aaron Long’s opportunistic shot let them look for three goals unanswered due to equality on the outside.
The chaos followed, while the herons turned to their emblematic n ° 10 to turn the return while absorbing the pressure waves while the visitors felt the upheaval.
“I don’t want to lie to myself or anyone here,” said Mascherano. “We knew that the match had become very difficult, but when I saw that they could not put the match in these first 20 minutes and gave us a life buoy, and I saw Leo scoring this first goal which did not count, I saw that we started to have the impression of taking control of the match.
“We were more in their half and I think this goal in the first half allowed us to say that we could score a second.”
The Miami captain took advantage of a rare LAFC error in the first half to fuel his team’s opening goal, then helped Noah Allen’s global equalizer before ranging the match with a perfect penalty in the last minutes.
“He is the soul of this team. There is no doubt,” said Mascherano. “Sometimes I have been uncomfortable to talk about him because he has been my teammate for over 20 years and now I have to help him in this role as a coach. He has done everything in the game. He is the biggest in history and he always gives the example of the way of competing, showing the way. He will always want to win and he will do the impossible to win.
“In addition to that, because the game is not only wanting to want it, it is a question of having the capacities and it has that because it is the biggest of all time. I am just grateful to have been able to play with it as long as I have done it and now in this last step, I can see him train and try to help him continue to compete and be happy.”
Game of the year?
The frantic pace and non-stop action may have been entertaining in a neutral perspective, but for Mascherano, it was even a little too hectic.
“The level of this match was too high because we faced a team that – they really play, very well, with great players and we had to come back and that never in football is easy when you have to come back and then hold the match. It was difficult for us,” said Mascherano. “We have a lot to improve, but it’s the way. It’s the way to play football; try to give everything 100%.”
This mentality propelled the hearing of the hole with two goals. Despite the not very conducive start of the match, nervous nature has finally gone from the local team to visitors, preparing the field for theaters in the second half.
“I think the first 25 minutes, they were much better than us. Maybe they deserved to score another goal,” admitted Mascherano. “They didn’t do it. They gave us one more life, then we did our job.
“In football, you sometimes have to suffer from the moment, try to give a high mentality because we knew that if we scored a goal, they might be nervous because they know that we also have good players, a good team and players that they know how to compete. So I think it was very happy for them.”
The head coach of the herons has also not forgotten to remind everyone that he saw the return coming.
“I mentioned yesterday during the press conference that I thought it would be an unforgettable evening because I know the guys and I know what they think of the game, how much they want to compete and how much they want to win,” said Mascherano. “The legends have won everything. The young people won less, but they are hungry to gain things and bring the club to another level. I am grateful to them for this unforgettable night. Those of us who are outside appreciated what they did inside the field.”
Next: Vancouver
With the victory, Inter Miami reserved a trip to their first CCC semi-final against Vancouver Whitecaps FC, which eliminated Liga MX Side Pumas Unam with a late dramatic goal in the second floor of their quarter-final series.
The winner’s reward? A single final on June 1 against Cruz Azul or Tigres Uanl, guaranteeing another Epic MLS VS Liga match.
“We want to win this tournament,” said Allen during post-match broadcasting. “This is an objective since the beginning of the year, since the first day of pre-season. It is our biggest objective at the moment and I have the impression that it was the perfect performance to enter the semi-finals. Obviously, we fell in the first 15 minutes and it was frustrating, but we kept our heads, we did not be to each other.
“It’s a big team, they have an excellent coach, they have great players, so we knew it was going to be difficult and they made things difficult. But we just showed our quality, we just showed our conviviality and when we have this type of conviviality, we can win the whole tournament.”
