Messi does magic, scores two goals and takes Inter Miami to the quarterfinals of the Leagues Cup

After a crazy game in which he scored two goals, Lionel Messi led Inter Miami to a 5-3 win on penalties (4-4 in regulation time) this Sunday against FC Dallas in the round of 16 of the Leagues Cup .

The Albiceleste captain opened the scoring in the 6th minute and, after FC Dallas led 4-2, tied the game with a stratospheric direct free kick in the 85th minute. In the penalty shootout, Messi converted the first shot and an error by the American Paxton Pomykal condemned FC Dallas.

In a game that had to be stopped twice for players to rehydrate due to the high temperatures in the southern United States, the Las Garzas team had a hard time getting off the ground, despite the 22,500 souls cheering passionately for ” Messi, Messi!”

The man from Rosario had opened the scoring by scoring from the mouth of the area after 6 minutes, which seemed to herald an easy victory in his first game on the road, where he lined up with his former Barcelona teammates, Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets.. Precisely, it was Alba, as if remembering his best times in the Catalan team, who assisted him in the first goal.

Although the VAR had to be reviewed, due to the doubt as to whether Josef Martinez hindered the goalkeeper's visual. The Venezuelan this time was not fine and wasted several, including some served by Messi himself.

From there everything went uphill.. The locals began the day with a psychological warfare that seemed to herald what was to come. Large flames of fire were shooting out of the FC Dallas symbol at Toyota Stadium. They were prepared to defend their domains.

The shouts of “yee haw” from the stands, typical of cowboys in the southern United States, announced an attack that had its main men on horseback in Facundo Quignon, Bernardo Kamungo and Jesús Ferreira.

It was the Argentinean Quignon who, after a cross from Marco Farfán, scored after 37 minutes. And then Bernard Kamungo, the one who dreamed of being a soccer player while playing with balls made of plastic bags in a refugee camp in Tanzania, seemed to bury Messi's illusions.

After a counterattack in complicity with Alan Velasco and Jesús Ferreira, the African inflated Drake Callender's fences, scoring the second for the locals after 45 minutes. Meanwhile, Messi with his hands on his waist, looked down and seemed to snort and sigh.

Dallas, knowing the artillery he had to face, left three men down for much of the game. But sometimes they got tangled up and the ball ended up at Messi's feet.. The stadium remained silent at times, waiting to see if La Pulga would come back to life.

The third for Dallas came with Alan Velasco and the fourth a goal against Robert Taylor, who went down to support the defense and ended up pushing the nets into his own goal.

The gates of the stadium opened almost an hour later than expected. And perhaps that was an omen for the visit, which also took time to find the door of the goal.

The locals were ready to destroy. Perhaps it was the heat that exceeded 35ºC, or perhaps the first day away from home that threw those from Miami off balance.

Although they did not lower their arms. The entrance of the American Benjamín Cremaschi gave dynamism to the match and it was he who hit the second for the visitors. Then, as if paying the bill, Marco Farfán gave them an own goal in the 80th minute.

Finally, Messi, to send everything to a table, hit a superb free kick at 85, taking the duel to penalties. The stands, which had been silent and had only their cell phones on to record the feat, shouted again: “Messi, Messi!”

Messi's Inter, the tournament's top scorer with seven goals in four games, will face Houston Dynamo or Charlotte in the quarterfinals, which kick off on August 11.

Goals:

FC Dallas: Facundo Quignon (minute 37), Bernard Kamungo (45), Alan Velasco (63), Robert Taylor (own goal, 68).

Inter Miami: Lionel Messi (6 and 85), Benjamin Cremaschi (65), Marco Farfán (own goal, 80)

Definition by penalties:

FC Dallas: Paul Arriola (goal), Paxton Pomykal (out), Facundo Quignon (goal), Jesús Ferreira (goal)

Inter Miami: Lionel Messi (goal), Sergio Busquets (goal), Leonardo Campana (goal), Kamal Miller (goal), Benjamin Cremaschi (goal)

Lineups:

FC Dallas: Maarten Paes – Geovane Jesus (Ema Twumasi, 77), Nkosi Tafari, Sebastien Ibeagha, Marco Farfan – Sebastian Lletget (Paxton Pomykal, 69), Facundo Quignon, Alan Velasco (Tsiki Ntsabeleng, 77) – Bernard Kamungo (Eugene Ansah , 59), Jáder Obrian (Paul Arriola, 59) and Jesús Ferreira. DT: Nico Estevez.

Inter Miami: Drake Callender – DeAndre Yedlin (Robbie Robinson, 75), Sergii Kryvtsov, Kamal Miller, Jordi Alba – Sergio Busquets, Dixon Arroyo, Diego Gómez (Benjamin Cremaschi, 64) – Robert Taylor, Lionel Messi and Josef Martínez (Leonardo Campana , 75). DT: Gerardo Martino.