Messi and Miami bounce back with 4-1 crushing of Red Bulls
MIAMI : Lionel Messi was on target as Inter Miami bounced back from their Concacaf Champions Cup exit, beating the New York Red Bulls 4-1 at Chase Stadium on Saturday.
Miami had lost their last three games, including a 5-1 aggregate defeat to the Vancouver Whitecaps in the Champions Cup semi-finals, but they got a much-needed morale boost with a comfortable Major League Soccer victory.
Fafa Picault opened the scoring in the ninth minute, blasting home at the back post after Luis Suarez had flicked on a cross from Marcelo Weigandt.
Full-back Weigandt doubled the advantage in the 30th minute when his diving header was parried by Carlos Coronel and the Argentine followed in to scoop the ball home.
The goal was initially flagged for offside but after a VAR review the referee ruled it should stand.
Suarez made it 3-0 nine minutes later, firing home at the second attempt after his initial shot had been blocked but the Red Bulls pulled a goal back before the break.
An Omar Valencia corner deep to the back post was looped over Oscar Ustari and into the far corner to give the visitors some hope for the second half.
Miami stayed on top, however, and Messi extended their advantage in the 67th minute, playing a one-two with Telasco Segovia and holding off Noah Eile before beating Coronel with a left-foot finish.
The goal ended a run of four matches without Messi being on the scoresheet and the win moved Miami up to fourth place in the Eastern Conference.
Elsewhere, former Saint-Etienne midfielder Dylan Chambost opened his account in MLS with the first goal in the Columbus Crew's 4-2 win over Charlotte.
The Crew lead the East on 24 points, two ahead of the Philadelphia Union, who continued their excellent season with a 2-1 win at Montreal with Danish striker Mikael Uhre grabbing an 84th-minute winner.
D.C. United beat the Colorado Rapids 2-1 with goals from Christian Benteke and a volley from Japanese midfielder Hosei Kijima.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Malay Mail
17 hours ago
- Malay Mail
Bournemouth breeze past Everton 3-0 in Premier League Summer Series opener
NEW YORK, July 27 — Bournemouth cruised to a 3-0 victory over Everton in the opening round of the Premier League Summer Series exhibition tournament at New Jersey's MetLife Stadium today. Goals from Philip Billing, Dango Outtara and Daniel Adu-Adjei sealed a comfortable win for Andoni Iraola's Bournemouth side in a game played in sweltering conditions. After a low-key first half, Billing fired Bournemouth into the lead in the 55th minute, gliding away from his marker at the edge of the area before unleashing a ferocious shot that flew past Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford. England international Pickford was beaten again four minutes later after a move that began when Outtara surged clear down the left flank. Everton defender Nathan Patterson looked to have covered the danger, but a poor touch allowed Burkina Faso international Outtara to hammer a shot high into the net past Pickford's near post. Adu-Adjei made it 3-0 to the Cherries in the 69th minute, pouncing on an underhit backpass from Jake O'Brien to coolly finish past Pickford. The four-team Premier League-backed tournament continues later yesterday with Manchester United taking on West Ham at the same venue. — AFP
Malay Mail
a day ago
- Malay Mail
Top seed Fritz crashes out as Raducanu and Fernandez revive US Open magic in DC
WASHINGTON, July 26 — US top seed Taylor Fritz dropped an early this morning marathon to Spain's Alejandro Davidovich-Fokina while Britain's Emma Raducanu and Canada's Leylah Fernandez reached the semi-finals of the ATP and WTA DC Open. World number four Fritz, two points from victory in the ninth game, dropped the last five games in falling to the 26th-ranked Spaniard 7-6 (7/3), 3-6, 7-5 after three hours and five minutes in a match ending just before 2am. Davidovich-Fokina advanced to a semi-final today against US fourth seed Ben Shelton, who beat sixth-seeded hometown hero Frances Tiafoe 7-6 (7/2), 6-4. Fritz, who had 20 aces and six double faults, served for the match in the ninth and was up 30-0 but lost, then failed to take advantage of three double faults by Davidovich-Fokina in the 10th game. The other men's semi-final will send French lucky loser Corentin Moutet against Australian seventh seed Alex De Minaur, who eliminated American Brandon Nakashima 6-4, 6-4. Moutet withstood leg cramps to eliminate eighth seed Daniil Medvedev 1-6, 6-4, 6-4. 'I tried to survive every point because it was hard physically,' Moutet said after fighting off leg cramps. 'I'm just proud of myself.' Raducanu reached the brink of her first WTA final since winning the 2021 US Open, ousting Greece's Maria Sakkari 6-4, 7-5. And Fernandez, whom Raducanu beat in that Flushing Meadows championship match, reached the other semi-final by dispatching American Taylor Townsend 6-4, 7-6 (7/4). Raducanu, who missed most of 2023 after hand and ankle surgery and part of last year with a left foot injury, reached her first WTA semi-final since last year at Nottingham by dispatching Sakkari in sweltering conditions of 95F (35C). 'It was one of the toughest matches conditions-wise I've ever played in,' Raducanu said. 'Those points in the second set, I was getting a bit wobbly I'm just happy I could close it out and it was two sets. 'I think the humidity here, as well, it just makes it feel completely like you have just opened an oven and it just stayed open and your head is in there. That's how it feels.' Left-hander Fernandez overcame leg cramps in the second set in advancing to face third seed Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan, who beat Polish fifth seed Magdalena Frech 6-3, 6-3. Raducanu will next face Anna Kalinskaya, who defeated Danish fourth seed Clara Tauson 6-3, 7-5. Raducanu, Britain's first women's Grand Slam singles champion since Virginia Wade in 1977 at Wimbledon, beat four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka in the second round before downing Sakkari after a medical timeout in the second set. 'Brutal conditions. Right in the peak heat of the day. It was incredibly difficult,' Raducanu said. 'I had to call a doctor on. Wasn't feeling too good in the second set. 'When it's at that stage you know you're going to suffer and you have to just go until you physically can't anymore. It could be a little dangerous but you just leave it all out there on the court as an athlete.' 'Benchmark' win Raducanu rallied to win the final five games of the match, calling it a 'big benchmark' to reach the semis. 'You get to a point where you're so tired that you don't really know what you're doing anymore, and I think maybe that helped,' Raducanu said. Fernandez called it a 'good steppingstone' to reach the semis, fight off leg cramps to break Townsend on her eighth chance in the 10th game to reach 5-5 on the way to victory. 'It was definitely an adventure,' Fernandez said. 'This was the first time I've had to go through this. I'm proud I was able to stay mentally tough.' — AFP
New Straits Times
a day ago
- New Straits Times
'Upset' Messi suspended over MLS All-Star no-show: league
LOS ANGELES, UNITED STATES: Lionel Messi and Inter Miami team-mate Jordi Alba have been suspended after the duo skipped Major League Soccer's All-Star Game earlier this week, the league said yesterday. MLS said in a statement Messi and Alba would be unavailable for today's clash against FC Cincinnati "due to their absence" at this week's All-Star showpiece. "Per league rules, any player who does not participate in the All-Star Game without prior approval from the league is ineligible to compete in their club's next match," the league said in a brief statement. Messi and Alba had both been selected to play for a combined MLS side in Wednesday's game against a team drawn from Mexico's Liga-MX as part of the league's All-Star break. However, both players withdrew from the showpiece early Wednesday for reasons that were not revealed. The 11th-hour snub left Messi and Alba both facing sanction. Under MLS rules, players selected for the All-Star game must participate unless they have a valid reason -- such as an injury -- not to do so. MLS commissioner Don Garber said yesterday the league had been left with no choice but to suspend players from duty this weekend, describing the ruling as a "very difficult decision". "I know Lionel Messi loves this league," Garber said. "I don't think there's a player -- or anyone -- who has done more for Major League Soccer than Messi. I fully understand, respect, and admire his commitment to Inter Miami, and I respect his decision. "Unfortunately, we have a long-standing policy regarding participation in the All-Star Game, and we had to enforce it. It was a very difficult decision." Garber, however, said MLS would review its existing policy in future. "We're going to take a hard look at the policy moving forward," he said. "I'm committed to working with our players to determine how the rule should evolve." Inter Miami's billionaire co-owner Jorge Mas blasted the decision to suspend Messi and Alba in a conference call with reporters later Friday, describing Messi as "very upset" by the league's ruling. "Leo Messi is very upset. I hope it doesn't have a long-term impact," said Mas, who is currently in talks with Messi about a possible extension to his current contract, which runs out at the end of this year. "Will it have an impact on (Messi's) perception of the league and it's rules? Without a doubt," Mas added. "Lionel is different from everyone else. He wants to participate in competitive matches." Speaking on Wednesday, Garber said the league should have known earlier about the no-show, but expressed some sympathy for the gruelling schedule faced by Messi in recent weeks. The 38-year-old Argentinian superstar has played nine games in 35 days and played 90 minutes in each game, including four games in the FIFA Club World Cup. "Miami has had a schedule that is unlike any other team," Garber said. "Most of our teams had a 10-day break. Miami hasn't. So we have to manage through that as a league." Messi and Alba's participation in the game had been under a cloud after Miami coach Javier Mascherano indicated last weekend he would have preferred the duo to be excused from All-Star duties. "The players are called up. I'd prefer they rest, but it's not my decision," Mascherano said.
