Inter Miami beats Tigres 2-1 in the Leagues Cup

In a thrilling 2-1 Leagues Cup quarterfinal triumph against Mexican power Tigres, Inter Miami’s coach, Javier Mascherano, was sent off at halftime, while the team’s greatest player, injured captain Lionel Messi, watched in the bleachers wearing street clothes.

Luis Suarez scored both of Miami’s goals on penalty kicks after handballs in the area by Tigres midfielder Javier Aquino.

With Miami leading 1-0 at the end of the first half, Mascherano was sent off for fighting with referees as the teams made their way to the tunnel. As Miami players and coaches yelled and gestured toward the scoreboard, referee Mario Escobar allowed the clock to run over seven minutes after adding four minutes of extra time.

From a team suite close to field level, Mascherano saw the remainder of the match. He was seen on television making gestures and using his phone, which is allowed per tournament regulations. The Inter Miami coach was situated at a location specified in compliance with competition rules, according to a Leagues Cup statement. Regulations for the Leagues Cup do not prohibit cell phone conversations.

He was not permitted to attend the post-game press conference and is banned for next week’s Leagues Cup quarterfinal matchup against Orlando City. The second half was guided by assistant coach Leandro Stillitano.

According to Miami assistant coach Javi Morales, “the referee added four minutes at the end of the first half and we played six or something like that.” “Javier received the red card while we were fighting over the time, and we didn’t hear anything else.”

“I thought Miami played well, even though it was a crazy game,” Morales said.

Morales said, “I think we played a very good first half, played the way we wanted.” “They didn’t create much, but we created chances and scored a goal.” They made adjustments and discovered gaps in the second half. However, we managed to continue battling and ultimately prevailed in the game.

With a huge sigh of relief, Miami players and supporters watched as Edgar Lopez of Tigres had an opportunity to level the score in the last minutes, but his shot bounced off the left post, across the goal mouth, and clanked against the right post.

Mascherano fist-bumped spectators in the stands and was brought along the stadium aisle by security officers as the game came to a close, filling the air with jubilant pink smoke. In a replay of the 4-1 Miami setback in an MLS regular season encounter two weeks earlier, Inter Miami will take on state rival Orlando City in the semifinal on August 26 or 27. Earlier in the season, Orlando defeated Miami 3-0 as well.

Earlier in the match, Messi grinned from a suite as his close buddy Suarez gave Inter Miami the lead in the 23rd minute with a penalty shot that rocketed into the bottom right corner. After a cross from Jordi Alba deflected off Aquino’s palm, the PK was given.

After converting the PK, Suarez celebrated with teammates, punched his right fist, and glanced toward the suites. The 38-year-old Uruguayan, who has been scoring goals lately, said on Tuesday that he was not deterred by goal droughts since he was still contributing to the club with 15 assists.

He found the back of the goal twice this evening. The second, which ignited the home fans, occurred in the 89th minute.

Suarez has also received praise for his leadership abilities, which are particularly crucial when Messi is not playing.

After the first half ended, he mediated a furious dispute between his Uruguayan teammate Fernando Gorriaran and his Inter Miami player Rodrigo De Paul. Suarez intervened, wrapped Gorriaran in his arm, and escorted him down the tunnel as the two players were snarling at one another.

In the latter moments of the first half, Alba hurt his lower leg. He began the second half and staggered to the whistle, but he was replaced by Noah Allen soon after. Morales said, “Jordi had a knock to the knee, from what I understand, but we don’t have an official medical report on him yet.”

Messi experienced a setback and missed the team’s recent training sessions after returning from a hamstring injury last weekend to play heroically in the closing minutes of a 3-1 victory against the Los Angeles Galaxy. During the Galaxy game, he was seen rubbing his leg, and as soon as the final whistle blew, he ran off the field.

High-profile MLS and Liga MX teams, both with strong Argentine influences, faced off in Wednesday’s encounter. Mascherano of Miami and Guido Pizarro of Tigres are both Argentinean coaches. Miami’s squad includes four Tigres players and nine Argentinean players.

In the group stage, Inter advanced to the quarterfinals after defeating Atlas and Pumas and earning two points against Necaxa with a penalty shootout victory. Tigres fell to LAFC 2-1 but defeated the Houston Dynamo and San Diego FC.

The arrival of Argentine forward Angel Correa, a colleague of Messi and De Paul on the World Cup-winning squad, strengthened Tigres this summer. Both Correa and De Paul moved to North America in the summer and started the season as colleagues with Atletico Madrid.

In the 67th minute, Correa beat Miami defender Gonzalo Lujan to score Tigres’ only goal.

There was a passionate scattering of yellow and blue fans cheering for the visiting club, but the majority of Chase Stadium’s supporters were clad in pink. When their team bus arrived, Tigres supporters, many of whom had come from Monterrey, applauded in the parking lot. Coach Javier Aguirre of the Mexican national team and singer Cristian Castro were among the attendees.

Goalie Oscar Ustari, right back Ian Fray, center back Gonzalo Lujan, center back Maxi Falcon, left back Jordi Alba, midfielders Yannick Bright, Sergio Busquets (captain), Tadeo Allende, Rodrigo De Paul, and Telasco Segovia, and forward Luis Suarez were among Miami’s starting lineup.

“Our team’s mindset and where we are this year can be compared before and after this game,” Suarez said. It’s being handled as if it were the final. I believe we can win both the League Cup and the MLS Cup if we approach each of these matches like we did in the Club World Cup. But it is up to us.