Jordi Alba scored in the second minute of stoppage time and Luis Suárez smashed home the winning kick in the penalty shootout to secure two points for Inter Miami over Liga MX’s Necaxa in Leagues Cup play.
Yet, it wasn’t all pretty. Miami’s Maxi Falcón picked up a first-half red card, and Necaxa responded with Cristian Calderón’s sending off in the second half, leading to a wide-open and hotly contested affair.
Before the red cards began flying though, the story of the night surrounded Lionel Messi. The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner had to leave the match in the 11th minute after being pulled down dribbling into the Necaxa penalty area.
Although Miami had not found much success without Messi since he joined the club in the summer of 2023, they opened the scoring moments later as Telasco Segovia beat Ezequiel Unsain in the 12th minute.
The hosts’ lead didn’t last long. Falcón picked up his red card in the 17th minute, paving the way for Necaxa to tie the match in the 33rd minute through Tomás Badaloni. In the second half, the teams exchanged late goals following Calderón’s 61st minute sending off, with Ricardo Monreal and Alba each finding the back of the net to finish regulation time 2–2.
The draw sent both teams to the tiebreaking penalty shootout, where Suárez finished things off for the Herons to claim two of a possible three points. The penalty-shootout win keeps Miami alive in the Leagues Cup heading into the final Phase One matchday against Pumas UNAM on Wednesday, where they will hope to secure a top-four spot among MLS clubs.
Here are the player ratings from the matchup.
Inter Miami Player Ratings vs. Necaxa (4-4-2)
Player Ratings Provided by FotMob
Necaxa Player Ratings vs. Inter Miami (3-1-4-2)
Player of the Match: Rodrigo De Paul
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Inter Miami 2–2 Necaxa: Player Ratings As Herons Win in Penalties Despite Messi Injury.
