Lionel Messi was forced off with an apparent injury just 11 minutes into Inter Miami’s dramatic Leagues Cup penalty shootout victory over Mexican side Necaxa on Saturday night at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale.
The 38-year-old Argentine star appeared to be dealing with discomfort in his upper right leg or groin area and left the pitch without assistance, heading straight to the locker room. While the extent of the injury remains unclear, head coach Javier Mascherano said further evaluation would take place on Sunday.
“He felt some discomfort,” Mascherano explained post-match. “We won’t know the full picture until tomorrow. It doesn’t seem too serious—there wasn’t much pain, but he did feel a strain.”
The injury occurred after Messi made a driving run into the final third, where he lost his footing in a clash with defender Alexis Peña. Frustrated, he pounded the ground before play continued. Moments later, he sat down on the left flank near midfield, prompting the medical team to intervene. Federico Redondo replaced him shortly after.
Despite Messi's early departure, Miami went on to win 5-4 in penalties after a 2-2 draw in regular time. Rodrigo De Paul, Ben Cremaschi, Jordi Alba, Redondo, and Luis Suárez all converted their spot-kicks, with Suárez netting the decisive penalty. Necaxa's Tomás Badaloni missed his attempt in the third round, which proved crucial.
Venezuelan midfielder Telasco Segovia had opened the scoring for Miami in the 12th minute, but the Herons were reduced to 10 men when Uruguayan defender Maximiliano Falcón was sent off in the 17th minute. Badaloni equalized in the 33rd, and Necaxa themselves went down to 10 after Cristian Calderón received a red card on the hour mark.
Substitute Ricardo Monreal put Necaxa ahead in the 81st minute, only for Jordi Alba to rescue Miami with a stoppage-time equalizer in the 92nd minute.
Messi, who has dealt with thigh issues in recent international matches, has been in stellar form this season with 18 goals and 9 assists in 18 MLS appearances. He also played a key role in Wednesday's 2-1 win over Atlas, assisting both goals in Miami’s Leagues Cup opener.
Inter Miami will wrap up their group stage campaign on Wednesday against Pumas. Messi famously led the club to their first Leagues Cup title in 2023, shortly after joining the MLS side.
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