In a dazzling display of soccer prowess, Inter Miami CF emerged victorious in the Leagues Cup quarter-final clash against Charlotte FC. The Herons secured their spot in the North American Leagues Cup semi-final with a convincing 4-0 win over Charlotte on Friday night, in front of a special audience that included Lionel Messi’s mother and Argentina’s head coach Lionel Scaloni.
The 36-year-old superstar, who joined Inter Miami in July after leaving Paris Saint Germain in July, continued his sensational form for his new club by leading Miami to the next round. The 7x Ballon d’Or winner increased his tally to eight goals in five games in the match against Charlotte.
Lionel Messi shines again for Inter Miami in front of mother and coach
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Messi ended the game with an easy goal, as he set Campana through with a perfect through ball in the box, which the forward gave back to La Pulga, resulting in a simple finish from the Argentine. Miami was awarded a penalty ten minutes into the game, with Josef Martinez making no mistake in converting the spot kick.
Robert Taylor doubled the lead around 30 minutes into the game with a firing strike from inside the 18-yard box. The Herons extended their lead to 3-0 late in the second half with Charlotte FC’s Adilson Malanda deflecting the ball into his own net while trying to stop a pass from reaching Campana.
Messi’s mother, Celia Maria Cuccittini, was seen in the stands cheering for her son, who scored the fourth and final goal of the match at the 86th-minute mark. Scaloni, who led Argentina to their second World Cup title in Qatar last year, was also in attendance at the DRV PNK Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to witness Messi’s performance for the Herons.
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Argentina Head Coach, Lionel Scaloni, who was in attendance during the match, was seen having a conversation with Messi’s mother in the stands. With the upcoming FIFA World Cup Qualifiers in September, Scaloni hopes to reunite with Messi and is “eager to welcome him back” with the Albiceleste. Scaloni had more words of admiration for his fellow Argentine.
Scaloni looking forward to CONMEBOL World Cup Qualifiers
Talking with ESPN, Scaloni said, ”I’m here to watch Leo with my family, I see him very happy here, and when he’s happy, he does things differently compared to everyone else.”
“Leo’s looking good to me. He deserves all that love. He and all the players who are here deserve to go out and receive that love because they have not been able to live it.” Scaloni stated to ESPN.
Argentina will have all eyes on the World Cup qualifiers in September when they face Ecuador & Bolivia. The World Champions will be looking to come out victorious on the road to the World Cup. Inter Miami will look to continue their quest for the Leagues Cup title. They face Philadelphia Union in the semifinals on Wednesday.
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