By Victor Kanayo
Argentina captain Lionel Messi turned architect as his new club Inter Miami beat opponent Nashville SC in a Cup final on Sunday morning (Nigerian time).
The victory earned after penalty shootout that ended 10-9, gifted Miami their first ever Cup triumph.
Moments Before Eventual Victory
Both sides went in search of breakthrough in the early stages of the encounter but it was Messi who eventually opened the scoring in the 23th minute.
The goal was his 10th of the inaugural tournament with a blistering shot from distance past multiple defenders and into the top left corner of the net.
Thereafter, Nashville’s Fafa Picault leveled for the home team in the 57th minute and both teams came agonisingly close to taking the lead in the rollercoaster second half.
During shootout, Nashville goalkeeper, Elliot Panicco, missed the final kick of the night to deliver Inter Miami, who joined the league in 2020, their first trophy.
Messi’s overjoyed teammates tossed the Argentine in the air as ecstatic Miami co-owner David Beckham shook his fists above his head in triumph.
Messi’s Triumphant MLS Arrival, Historic Records
Messi’s arrival few weeks ago has ignited an offensive explosion with the squad scoring 22 goals in their last seven games, despite having the worst record in MLS this season.
With the Miami win, Messi, a seven-time Ballon d’Or winner has become the player with most titles – 44 in history, toppling his former teammate.
His titles include 35 in Barcelona, five with Argentina, three with Paris Saint-Germain and now one with Inter Miami.
He was named player of the tournament.
Ronaldo, Mane Back-to-Back Defeat
Meanwhile, Portuguese captain Cristiano Ronaldo and his Senegalese counterpart Sadio Mane have lost two league matches successively with Al Nassr in Saudi Arabia.
They were beaten 2-0 by another Saudi Pro League side Al-Taawoun, a club with only seven players valued over £1million.
