Messi retired from injury! Alba draws, Suarez wins penalty kick, Miami League Cup wins two consecutive wins

This morning, Miami International ushered in the second round of the North American League Cup group at home. Just 8 minutes into the game, Miami International suffered a heavy blow. Messi unfortunately suffered a hamstring strain during the offense, and head coach Mascherano had to replace Messi in advance. From slow motion, Messi was intercepted by four opponents in the offense. After Messi concedes the ball, he hit two opponents one after another. Then Messi fell to the ground and covered his face in pain. After preliminary examination by the team doctor, Messi basically confirmed that it was his right hamstring or groin area, and Messi finally left the court for further examination.

Messi's sudden injury and departure had a significant impact on Miami International, but Miami International took the lead in breaking the deadlock on the court in the 12th minute. New aid German Paul headed the ball in the middle to the top of the arc, Trascon scored in the first shot, and Miami International led Nagaza 1-0.

Just 5 minutes later, Miami suffered another blow. The center back Falken made a mistake in receiving the pass from the backcourt. In desperation, he knocked down the opponent's player Daber behind him. Because Daber had already obtained a one-on-one opportunity at this time, the referee directly sent Falken off a red card. Miami could only fight ten people in the next 70 minutes.

Miami International, which played one less, was punished soon. In the 33rd minute, Gaza player Sanchez made a cross from the bottom from the left, and Badaloni scored a goal through a volleyball shot in front of the goal. The score reached 1-1, and the two sides ended with a tie in the first half.

The side changes again, in the 60th minute of the game, Gaza fullback Christian pulled Suarez down in defense, and was sent off by the referee, turning two yellow cards into one red. Both sides beat one less player.

In the 80th minute, Miami International was overtaken by the score, Nagaza played a delicate cooperation from the right, Paravesino and Monreal collided with each other, and the latter pushed the ball from a small angle in the penalty area, Nagaza led Miami International 2-1 away. Miami International, who was behind, did not give up at home, and their efforts paid off in the second minute of injury time. Miami International got a good set piece on the right, DePaul passed the ball to the penalty area, Alba scored a header, and Miami International tied Nagaza 2-2.

Since the two sides drew at regular time, the game went directly into a penalty shootout. In the first two rounds of the penalty kick, both sides made the penalty. In the third round, Novo saved the penalty kick taken by Thomas, and Alba still scored a penalty kick steadily under the provocation of the opponent's goalkeeper. In the fifth round of the penalty shootout, Winsa scored due to the penalty. At this time, the pressure came to Suarez. He withstood the pressure and took the penalty and bounced into the goal on the crossbar. In the end, Miami International won 5-4 through a penalty shootout, winning the second group stage victory 7-5 in total. After two rounds, Miami International scored 5 points and temporarily ranked first in Group B.

Although Miami scored two points in this game, Messi's injury became the focus after the game. The Argentine superstar has been in a hot state since his comeback in June this year, scoring twice in five consecutive rounds. In the last round of the League Cup group stage, the team scored twice in assists, helping the team perform the assist final at the last moment, and the team also successfully won the League Cup to get off to a good start.

Since joining Miami International in 2023, Messi has suffered from injuries many times as he gets older. In the 2023-2024 season, Messi missed 14 games of the team twice due to muscle injuries. So far this season, Messi has suffered ligament injuries and was absent again. Among them, ligament injuries have been missing for nearly two months and missed 10 games. For Messi, who is already 38 years old, how to stay away from injuries and maintain a competitive state is his most important thing at the moment. Since most of the 2026 US, Canada and Mexico World Cup matches will be held in the United States, Messi must ensure health.

Miami International will face its last opponent in the group stage on August 7. The Mexican Cougars currently have 5 points and rank third in Group A, so this game is crucial to both sides. The winning team has the opportunity to strive for the top four in the group and can directly advance to the quarter-finals. If you lose, you will face the crisis of being eliminated. This victory not only continued Miami International's strong performance in the League Cup, but also demonstrated the team's resilience and depth in adversity. Messi is most likely to be out of the game in the next game, so the last group stage will be the ultimate test for Miami.