Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi (10) celebrates after scoring on a penalty kick against Los Angeles FC during the second half of the Concacaf Champions Cup quarterfinal second leg at Chase Stadium on Wednesday, April 9, 2025, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. David Santiago [email protected]
Inter Miami, facing elimination in the Concacaf Champions Cup after an early goal by LAFC Wednesday night, advanced to the semifinals with a 3-2 aggregate score after some magic from Lionel Messi, including a late-game penalty kick, and a goal from an unlikely source, 20-year-old Pembroke Pines defender Noah Allen.
Messi scored the equalizer minutes after having another goal nullified in the first half, Allen put Miami up 2-1 with a second-half strike, and then Messi delivered the game-winning penalty kick at the 84-minute mark to electrify the Chase Stadium crowd.
When Messi’s penalty kick hit the back of the net, the fans, who had been tense and on their feet, went wild. Messi ran to the field-level suites and celebrated with his three young sons. And when the final whistle finally blew, Messi leaped into the arms of goalkeeper Oscar Ustari, who made a huge save in the closing minute.
A jubilant Miami coach Javier Mascherano ran around and hugged everyone in sight. Loud Latin music blared from the Inter Miami locker room as players sang and banged on a refrigerator long after the game ended.
Inter Miami will play the winner of the Vancouver Whitecaps vs. Pumas series in the two-leg semifinal series, which begins April 22-24.
“I said it would be an unforgettable night, and it was,” Mascherano said. “Our players gave everything they had. This was a very difficult game. Our opponent played very well. We made mistakes. But our players wanted to go to the semifinals. They wanted it badly, you could feel it. I think we wanted it more than they did. I am grateful for the players, who never gave up. Sometimes you also need luck, and we had that. The coin flipped on our side today.
“These are the games that give meaning to our profession.”
Asked to describe Messi’s impact on the game, Mascherano said: “He is the soul of this team, of that there is no question. Sometimes I feel uncomfortable talking about him because I have been with him for 20 years, first as a teammate and now helping him in this stage of his career as his coach. He has already done it all in futbol, the greatest of all time, and he still an example of how to compete, guiding the younger generation. Until the final day of his career, he will have that desire to win and do the impossible to win.”
Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi (10) celebrates with family and friends after scoring a penalty kick against Los Angeles FC during the second half of the Concacaf Champions Cup quarterfinal second leg at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on Wednesday, April 9, 2025. David Santiago [email protected]
Meanwhile, LAFC coach Steve Cherundolo tried to explain why his team fell short.
“You’re talking about one of the greatest to ever play the sport,” Cherundolo said about Messi. “For my liking, he had a little too much freedom in the second half…It’s the same story against this team. If you don’t bury your chances, they will hang around and hang around and punish you.
“I think we had very clear chances on the night, and over the two legs, for sure. If there’s anything we can criticize us for, it’s not burying them.”
The pressure was on Messi and Miami entering the home game at Chase Stadium. They not only had to beat LAFC but dig themselves out of a 1-0 hole in the second and decisive leg of the aggregate-scored series.
Miami got off to a disastrous start, conceding a goal at the nine-minute mark to LAFC center back Aaron Long, who found himself unmarked after Ustari punched out a Los Angeles corner kick. That goal gave the visitors a 2-0 lead on aggregate and silenced the spirited home crowd, which came ready to party, decked in pink and black, banging drums and waving large banners.
Messi brought the stadium back to life in the 31st minute, scoring on a lightning quick free kick, but it was nullified because the head referee had not officially re-started play after the yellow card that led to the kick. Miami fans and coach Mascherano disputed the decision, but it stood.
Four minutes later, Messi struck again, and this one counted. He left footed a cross-body shot that went flying by the outstretched left arm of LAFC goalkeeper Hugo Lloris into the top right corner. The Argentine captain celebrated with teammates and pointed to the sky, in memory of his grandmother. His fans went berserk.
The Champions Cup uses away goals as the tiebreaker, and LAFC won its home game 1-0 last week. If Los Angeles scored one goal in Fort Lauderdale, Inter Miami would need at least three to advance. Los Angeles advances to the semis with a victory, a tie or even a one-goal loss.
Miami’s second goal came from Allen, who is known for his tenacious defense. Wednesday night, when his team was desperate for a goal, he delivered a pass into the goal area, apparently meant for Fede Redondo, but it sailed through Redondo’s hair and past Lloris into the net. Allen was credited with the goal, the second of his MLS career.
Allen’s goal put Miami ahead 2-1 at the 61-minute mark and the tension in the stadium was palpable.
The crowd erupted six minutes later when Luis Suarez appeared to score the goal that would give Miami the 3-1 lead it needed to advance. But the referee waved it off for off-side after a VAR review.
Goalkeeping was critical Wednesday night and Mascherano decided to start Ustari over Drake Callender, who returned from injury last week.
The rest of the Miami Starting XI were: Marcelo Weigandt, Noah Allen, Maxi Falcon, Jordi Alba, Fede Redondo, Yannick Bright, Telasco Segovia, Tadeo Allende, Luis Suarez and captain Messi.
Miami was without Sergio Busquets, one of the most respected defensive midfielders of his generation, for the game Wednesday as he is serving a suspension for accumulation of yellow cards. He acts as an assistant coach on the field and often delivers the pass that leads to scoring opportunities.
Bright, who evolved from an untested rookie out of the University of New Hampshire last season to one of the team’s most reliable midfielders, had to step up, along with Redondo.
Following the loss to LA, a full-strength Miami team settled for a 1-1 home tie against winless Toronto on Sunday. Messi, Alba and Busquets played the full 90-plus minutes and Suarez played 70 minutes, but Miami fell short in a game it was heavily favored to win, adding to the pressure to win on Wednesday.
“We knew how difficult this game would be, it was an opponent who played well for 180 minutes, but we never lost faith or hope,” Suarez said. “At halftime we knew we needed two goals to advance and it was in our hands. We knew one error would be costly, but luckily, with great defending and Oscar [Ustari] doing a great job, we were able to win.
“We are making history for the club. We are living a beautiful moment. Even at the age we are at, we still want to win more trophies.”
Inter Miami returns to MLS play on the road Sunday against the Chicago Fire.
This story was originally published April 9, 2025 at 7:44 PM.
