Inter Miami vs Los Angeles FC Score, Highlights
Lionel Messi and Inter Miami continue to be the best sporting spectacle.
Messi scored twice in the second half and Inter Miami decisively beat defending MLS champions LAFC with a 3-1 win on Sunday night at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles.
Messi didn’t score for the second game in a row and his third time in 11 games since joining Inter Miami. But he didn’t have to.
Messi’s left boot has always delivered two timely passes that have provided fans and celebrities like Selena Gomez, Prince Harry, Leonardo DiCaprio and many more with the graceful grandeur they have come to see.
Messi reunited with his former FC Barcelona teammate Jordi Alba at the 51st minute, and the young Leo Campana at the 83rd minute, while Facu Farias scored in the 18thth minute as Inter Miami remain unbeaten under the Messi era.
“You know what Leo is, what he can give on the pitch. He gets the best of everyone,” Campana said in his postgame Apple TV interview.
LAFC had a 22-9 advantage in shots and six shots on goal, but couldn’t find the back of the net until the 90th minute Ryan Hollingshead’s header made the final score closer than this game was.
Inter Miami are 10-1-0 (win-draw-loss) in 11 games since Messi’s arrival. And Inter Miami are eight points behind ninth-placed DC United in the MLS Eastern Conference playoff race.
“LAFC is a good team. We knew it was going to be difficult. We knew it was going to be tough…but once we scored the first one we smelled a little blood and then we just went from there,” Inter Miami’s DeAndre Yedlin said in his interview. postgame on Apple TV.
“It gives us a lot of confidence. It’s a big win for us, but the job isn’t done yet. We move on to the next.
Messi will travel to Argentina after the game to help the defending World Cup champions qualify again with two games this month.
Goal by Ryan Hollingshead: Inter Miami 3, LAFC 1
Too little, too late for LAFC.
Ryan Hollingshead scored with a header from a free kick in the 90th minute, just before extra time and LAFC is on the board.
Inter Miami won’t get the shutout in this one, but LAFC’s goal makes the game closer than it was all night.
Goal by Leo Campana: Inter Miami 3, LAFC 0
The good pass. At the right time. And the Hollywood finish for Leo Messi and Inter Miami.
Messi followed the pitch with a steam header and found Leo Campana on the right side. Campana’s left shot found the back of the net and Inter Miami took a 3-0 lead at the 83.rd minute.
Although Messi didn’t score in this one, he left his mark on LAFC with two assists.
Messi watches, but no assist: Inter Miami 2, LAFC 0
Messi took two looks from near the net but failed to fire.
Messi received a pass on the shoulder from Leo Campana in the 75th minute to prepare a corner.
Three minutes earlier, Messi had spotted a pass overhead and was waiting for his Inter Miami teammates to join him. LAFC defenders hampered Messi when he passed Facu Farias, who missed in the 72nd minute.sd minute. Shortly after, Farias was shown a yellow card for a frustration foul.
LAFC’s Ryan Hollingshead had a shot that went through the net in the 69thth minute. LAFC had no shortage of opportunities in this one.
Drake Callendar shines in second half: Inter Miami 2, LAFC 0
Inter Miami goalkeeper Drake Callendar made two saves on LAFC’s Dénis Bouanga shots in the 60th.th minute to keep LAFC off the board.
Callendar, sporting a new hairstyle, is Inter Miami’s most important player, not named Messi since the Argentine star joined the club.
Just before Callendar’s saves, Facundo Farías missed a shot on 57th minute that could have broken this game even more.
Goal by Jordi Alba: Inter Miami 2, LAFC 0
Leo Messi found Jordi Alba heading for the net, and Alba sent him home.
Inter Miami lead 2-0 over LAFC just after halftime, scoring in the 51st minute.
Sergio Busquets passed the ball to Messi to set up Alba’s score, while the three former FC Barcelona players who joined Inter Miami in the summer made their presence felt during the score.
While Messi is yet to score in this one, he does have an assist and Inter Miami have a decisive lead.
Halftime: Inter Miami 1, LAFC 0
Leo Messi and Inter Miami lead 1-0 at halftime against LAFC.
Messi is yet to score in this match, missing two shots.
But Inter Miami’s Facu Farias scored in the 14th minute, and goaltender Drake Callendar has multiple saves to keep LAFC scoreless.
Inter Miami coach Tata Martino, Messi’s longtime coach with Barcelona and Argentina, was interviewed at halftime during the Apple TV show.
Martino said: “It was a level game” and a “nice game to watch, a great show”.
Selena Gomez can’t believe Messi failed in 37′: Inter Miami 1, LAFC 0
Messi received a pass from Diego Gomez. He found his place and let his left boot rip. LAFC goaltender John McCarthy challenged the shot.
But the highlight came after Messi’s miss.
Selena Gomez couldn’t believe her eyes in the stands as the show captured her reaction to Messi’s failure in the 37.th minute.
The stars are out in Los Angeles and Inter Miami leads 1-0 just before halftime.
Prince Harry could support LAFC: Inter Miami 1, LAFC 0
Leo Messi’s first shot was directly aimed at the LAFC keeper.
But just a minute earlier, Prince Harry had appeared on the show in anguish over a missed opportunity for LAFC. A left boot from Mario González found the outside of the net in the 26thth minute.
Inter Miami goalkeeper Drake Callendar was a star in the Messi days and he challenged at least six LAFC shots in the first 28 minutes of that game.
Goal by Facundo Farias: Inter Miami 1, LAFC 0
Inter Miami are on the board and it’s one of their talented youngsters who finds the back of the net.
Facundo Farias connected on a sliding kick from the right side at 14th minute after a pass from Tomas Avilés.
Messi ran into the hands of Farias to start celebrating Inter Miami’s 1-0 lead at Los Angeles.
What time is the Inter Miami vs. LAFC game today?
It’s late ! Kickoff is scheduled for 10 p.m. ET as the teams play on the West Coast at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles. Get your coffee and popcorn ready.
How to watch Messi, Inter Miami vs LAFC: TV, streaming
The Inter Miami vs. LAFC game can be streamed live on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.
Starting lineups for Miami vs. LAFC
The starting lineups are known for Miami and LAFC, just 45 minutes before both teams kick off in what should be a fun game.
And here’s the LAFC roster, with an interesting note: Defender Giorgio Chiellini gets the nod tonight, and he has a history with Messi, having played for Juventus in Italy. Chiellini once joked that the best way to defend Messi is to ‘make the sign of the cross’ and pray.
Prince Harry, Meghan Markle and LeBron James among celebrities to watch Messi in person tonight
As expected, Messi won’t be the only celebrity at BMO Stadium tonight when Inter Miami visit LAFC.
The list of notable guests for tonight’s game is long and includes LeBron James, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry, Ted Lasso (known in the real world as Jason Sudeikis), Leo DiCaprio, Selena Gomez, Tom Holland and Will Ferrel. And according to LAFC, it’s just a small sample.
It seems everyone is caught up in Messi Mania.
How did Messi and Miami fare in the most recent game?
Messi and Miami have been in tears since the GOAT joined MLS in June. But on Wednesday against Nashville, they hit something of a wall.
Nashville FC became the first MLS club to keep Miami scoreless since Messi joined the league, hanging on to a 0-0 draw. (Remember, Miami beat Nashville in the League Cup final, drawing 1-1 before winning the title over PK, 10-9). The game against Nashville was Miami’s 10th game in 40 days. How cool are the players legs at this stage?
Inter Miami vs. LAFC Predictions
Safid Deen, USA TODAY Sports reporter: Messi scores twice and assists on another to win a thriller in Los Angeles. Inter Miami 3, LAFC 2
Alicia DelGallo, USA TODAY Sports Editor: Miami is still falling behind and counting on Messi and Josef Martinez to withdraw the points. Inter Miami 2, LAFC 1
Lindsay Schnell, USA TODAY Sports reporter: Messi gets back on track and scores, but a well-rested LAFC shows why he’s so dominant at home, winning hands down. LAFC 3, Inter Miami 1
Jim Reineking, USA TODAY Sports Editor:BMO Stadium will be electric for this one and the home side will respond, handing Messi his first loss with Miami and a crippling setback in the team’s season-ending playoffs. LAFC 3, Inter Miami 2
LAFC, Carlos Vela won’t be intimidated by Messi
The name Messi scares many footballers around the world, and that’s understandable. Widely regarded as the greatest player of all time, Messi is a magician on the pitch, an athlete so gifted that he poses a threat every time he touches the ball.
But LAFC star striker Carlos Vela knows Messi, to say the least.
Vela, who can do a bit of everything as a striker, winger or midfielder and also a star for the Mexican national team, has faced Messi 18 times in his career. Granted, Messi usually beats him – and has scored 13 goals in those encounters, while Vela has scored just one – but Vela won’t be intimidated, which will often take away the advantage from Messi.
LAFC is very tough to beat at home, beating opponents 18-1 lately
Beating LAFC at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles is no easy task – just ask the last four teams that entered and were smoked by a combined score of 18-1. (No, that’s not a misprint.)
LAFC is widely regarded as one of the toughest road environments in MLS, with St. Louis and Cincinnati (which suffered its first home loss on Saturday in a 1-0 loss to Orlando City SC). Expect a frenzied crowd of 22,000 on Saturday at BMO Stadium, which could very well give LAFC an edge. Another element working in favor of the LAFC is rest: while Miami played on Wednesday, the LAFC did not.
Messi game is the perfect place in Los Angeles
As usual, Messi is one of the hottest tickets in town. According to the Los Angeles Times, secondary market tickets cost an average of $717, which would be just “$31 less than it would cost to attend every NFL Los Angeles Chargers home game at SoFi Stadium this season.” The other superstar making big money in the secondary market tonight is none other than Beyoncé, who will play her second of four concerts at SoFi Stadium tonight.
Suffice it to say, Los Angeles is the place to be tonight.
Messi and Miami are trying to bounce back from a scoreless draw against Nashville SC on Wednesday. Although they fell short of the win, Nashville did pick up a victory by becoming the first club to keep Messi scoreless since joining MLS in June. Certainly, Messi himself is aware of this statistic and will be determined to put things right.
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