Without Lionel Messi and a half without a coach, Inter Miami has advanced to the semi-finals of the Leagues Cup. Meanwhile, Marco Reus underlined his importance to LA Galaxy.
“We didn’t want to take any risks and hinder his recovery,” said Inter assistant coach Javier Morales about Messi’s absence. In the absence of the world champion, his former Barcelona teammate Luis Suarez secured the Leagues Cup victory against Tigres with two penalty kicks (23rd, 89th). Jordi Alba won the first with a cross that struck Javier Aquino’s hand, and Aquino also caused the second with his hand.
Angel Correa, known from his time at Atletico Madrid, scored the equalizer (67′). Miami coach Mascherano was shown a red card at halftime for protesting too vehemently.
The victory brings Miami one step closer to repeating its 2023 title win. In the semifinals, the team will now face Orlando City in the Florida “derby,” which also prevailed against a team from Mexico, winning 6-5 on penalties against Deportivo Toluca.
The other two quarterfinals also ended in favor of the USA and to the detriment of their southern neighbors. The Seattle Sounders won 4-3 on penalties against Club Puebla. And Los Angeles Galaxy once again relied on captain Marco Reus in their 2-1 win over CF Pachuca. The 36-year-old forced Daniel Aceves into an own goal with a sharp cross to make it 1-0 (27th minute) and then added the second himself (37th minute). The Mexican side pulled one back through Alemao in stoppage time at the end of the second half.
