To Inter Miami fans, their game against Nashville SC on Saturday night felt like a movie they’d seen a thousand times. It’s been done before but never gets old. It will never get old to watch Lionel Messi run a game, and it’s not a surprise anymore.
This is what we saw at Chase Stadium: the most recent Lionel Messi show. During a 3-1 win, he scored two goals and set up another for Sergio Busquets. Unfortunately, the Herons’ defence once again let them down.
Part of that movie I just stated always seems to have defensive setbacks. An own goal by Franco Negri gave them the lead early on Saturday. But Messi and his teammates were able to come back, which added some drama to a game that didn’t have much left by the end.
In the 11th minute, Messi got his first goal by getting back into the game and finishing off his own rebound. Soon after, he set up Busquets for a goal straight out of La Masia. The Argentine’s corner kick hit the Spaniard in the head. The game was over when Messi scored his late chance in the 81st minute. Miami had a good night.
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Not all good, though. Because Diego Gomez got hurt, the Herons now have two starters who are hurt. As more and more players get hurt, Tata Martino will be worried about the Paraguayan’s exit in the first half.
But for now, it was a night to celebrate in Miami. And Messi was at his best. The Herons will win a lot more games when Messi is at his best.
GOAL rates the players for Inter Miami from Chase Stadium…
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Defence and Goalkeeper
This is Drake Callender (6/10):
Early on, he had another nervous moment, but he did what he needed to do anyway.
4/10 for Franco Negri:
A rough goal for yourself. It seems like every week, a defence does something terrible for Miami. Negri had a night out tonight.
6/10 for Nicolas Freire:
Certainly had trouble at times with Nashville’s front two. He could have done a better job of passing, and the other team’s attacks gave him a few problems. There’s no doubt that he lived, though.
Tomas Aviles (7/10): The young defender played a great game. He has been playing a bit better lately after having some rough starts to the season.
6/10 for Marcelo Weigandt:
But he did a good job of protecting the right side of the field. He needs to be better with the ball. Did get a little too excited a few times in the second half, though.
Midfield
This is David Ruiz (6/10):
He should know better than to kick the ball away early on, which got him a stupid yellow card. Besides that, was pretty steady in the middle of the field.
Sergio Busquets (8/10):
Busquets scores goals a lot, so it’s clear that the day will be good. The Spanish player doesn’t score many goals, but this one was good, and his headed finish was the highlight of a good game all around.
Julian Gressel (6/10):
He would have had an assist if the referee hadn’t called him offside. Beyond that, there wasn’t anything really interesting.
Attack
Diego Gomez (6/10):
The Paraguayan has had terrible luck. He has been one of the club’s more reliable players this season. Now the Herons have to pray that his wound isn’t too bad.
8/10 for Luis Suarez:
Usually, Messi sets up Suarez, but this time, the Uruguayan player did the opposite and set up the goal. He should have scored a goal or two himself, because Suarez was a threat the whole night.
Lionel Messi 9/10:
He scored the first goal and then set up Busquets for the second. Late in the game, he sealed the deal with a penalty. So much of it felt like home. Again, Messi was the star of the game. He was in charge from the start and scared the Nashville defence.
Subs & Manager
Manager Leo Afonso and the subs (6/10):
Soon after taking over for Gomez, he almost scored a goal. In a tough position, they did a good job and earned the late penalty that helped seal the game.
6/10 for Yannick Bright:
Swapped in Gressel to give the middle some new legs.
John Benjamin Cremaschi (N/A):
wasn’t needed until late because he was still recovering from an illness.
Tata Martino (7/10):
When his stars take the lead, Martino’s job is a lot easier. On Saturday night, they did just that, taking the lead in a good home win. Aside from that, injuries have slowed him down a bit, but he handled his staff rather well.
