Luis Suarez struck the decisive penalty as Inter Miami clawed back from adversity, playing with 10 men and without talisman Lionel Messi, to defeat Necaxa 5-4 in a shootout in the Leagues Cup on Saturday night in Fort Lauderdale.
The tie had all the markings of a dramatic contest. Inter Miami lost Messi early to a suspected hamstring injury and were forced to play much of the game a man down after Maxi Falcón was shown red. Yet, the resilience of the Herons shone through in a frantic finale.
Jordi Alba rose to the occasion with a crucial header in second-half stoppage time, making it 2-2 and sending the clash to penalties. Rodrigo De Paul, who was instrumental throughout, provided the assist from a free-kick.
Suárez then capped off the night by converting the fifth and final penalty, placing it high into the top left corner, sealing the result after goalkeeper Rocco Ríos Novo had denied Tomás Badaloni in the third round of the shootout.
Lionel Messi’s exit cast a long shadow over the result. The Argentine forward went down in the eighth minute after a collision near the penalty area. He attempted to continue briefly but sat on the pitch clutching his right upper thigh before being substituted in the 11th minute.
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Inter Miami head coach Javier Mascherano provided an update post-match. “There's probably something there,” he said through an interpreter. “He’s not necessarily in pain, but he felt a pull.” Messi will undergo further examination on Sunday to assess the extent of the injury.
Despite the numerical disadvantage, Inter Miami initially took the lead just moments after Messi’s exit. Telasco Segovia found the net following a well-threaded pass from De Paul, marking his second goal of the tournament.
Necaxa responded through Badaloni in the 33rd minute with a low finish past Ríos Novo. The Mexican side looked to have seized control when Ricardo Monreal scored in the 81st minute. But Alba’s last-gasp equaliser brought the Herons level, keeping their tournament hopes alive.
The match saw disciplinary action on both sides. Falcón’s early red card left Miami in trouble, but parity was restored when Cristian Calderón received a second yellow for Necaxa in the 60th minute.
With Saturday’s win, Inter Miami now sit atop the MLS group table in the Leagues Cup standings with five points, though qualification for the knockout stages remains dependent on other results this weekend. The tournament, a joint contest between MLS and Mexico’s Liga MX, allows only the top four teams from each league’s table to progress after three group matches.
Suárez’s cool head under pressure and Alba’s leadership ensured that Miami, even without their marquee player, remain in contention.
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