David Beckham’s co-owned club Inter Miami, founded in 2018, never thought that they would reach the finals of a big tournament like the Leagues Cup so soon. The team at the bottom of the points table of Major League Soccer, led by Lionel Messi, entered the finals of the Leagues Cup after defeating the big clubs. Messi brought Inter Miami to the final by scoring one world-class goal in each match of this tournament. Inter Miami faces Nashville in the final of this important tournament.
Today’s nearly 30,000 spectators at Nashville’s Geodis Park Stadium were naturally mostly Messi supporters. Who kept Inter Miami ahead in the match? Also, the team went into the field with a lot of confidence after defeating clubs like Philadelphia 4-1 in the semi-finals. In the 23rd minute, Messi scored the first goal of the match. He scored his 10th goal in 7 matches for Inter Miami. The club had never made it to the finals of any tournament before the arrival of the Argentine star. They only won 5 matches in 22 matches with 22 goals. Lionel Messi came and changed the whole picture. Inter Miami has now scored 23 goals after winning 7 matches in a row, including the League Cup final.
In the 23rd minute of the match, Messi hit a perfect shot from the edge of the box surrounded by five opposition defenders and put the ball into the net. Inter Miami led 1-0 in the first half, but Nashville continued to increase the pressure in the second half. Then in the 57th minute, Fafa Picault headed the corner taken by Hany Mukhtar of Nashville to equalize the match.
Inter Miami tried to get back into the match but failed. The score remained 1-1 in extra time, the match went to a penalty shootout. Even in penalties, the fight continues to be equal. Both teams took 11 penalties each. In the end, Inter Miami led by Messi snatched the victory by penalty score 10-9. With this, Miami became the champion for the first time. Inter Miami qualified for the 2024 CONCACAF Champions Cup for the first time as champions of the Leagues Cup. The CONCACAF Champions Cup is the North American continental club championship, just like UEFA Champions League.