"Holding Messi back", "He wasted Messi's 50% club career" - Fans furious with Inter Miami star for his display in 1-0 win vs Sporting KC

A section of Inter Miami fans on X have blasted Luis Suarez for holding Lionel Messi back after he struggled during their 1-0 win over Sporting KC. The two sides faced off in the first leg of their CONCACAF Champions Cup Round 1 clash at the Children's Mercy Park on Wednesday, February 19.

Inter Miami made a strong start to the game. However, Suarez missed a good chance in the eighth minute after being played through by Messi. Fortunately, the Herons' patience was rewarded in the 56th minute when the latter found the bottom-left corner following Sergio Busquets' assist. The visitors defended well to ensure they held onto the narrow advantage going into the second leg.

Luis Suarez started the game up front as his side's No. 9. However, the 38-year-old had a poor outing, completing 18 passes from an attempted 28 with an accuracy of 64 percent. He also created zero chances, landed zero shots on target from two attempts, and lost two duels, as per FotMob.

One Inter Miami fan furiously posted:

"Suarez is holding Messi back man. Hes like Ronaldo. Do nothing, score a fluke goal and call it a carry job 😭😭Messi started that whole play, made run forward and Suarez didn’t pass until Messi was in offside position. AND EVEN THEN HE MIS PLACED THE PASS 😭😭😭😭😭."

Another fan tweeted:

"He wasted Messi’s 50% club career."

Other fans reacted below:

"It’s hurts to see Suarez play like this 😔", one fan commented.

"He was so bad in the second half," another added.

"He's so washed up Jesus he should be benched," one fan insisted.

"Suarez should retire at this point, even Campana was more useful than him," another posted.

"The reason the team is bad is this bear, he ruins all the team's efforts," one fan stated.

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"I think it's impossible to play in these conditions" - Javier Mascherano provides honest verdict on freezing conditions following Lionel Messi's Inter Miami's win over Sporting KC

Inter Miami manager Javier Mascherano has expressed his pride after witnessing his side overcome extreme weather conditions to defeat Sporting KC 1-0 in the CONCACAF Champions Cup.

The two sides were initially meant to lock horns on Tuesday, February 18. However, the game was postponed by a day due to a reported accumulation of snow. While the game did kick off 24 hours later, both sides had to face freezing conditions with the temperature being five degrees Fahrenheit at the start of the fixture.

Following the game, Mascherano said (via GOAL):

“I'm very proud because I think it's impossible to play in these conditions. It is not human, you know, so I'm very proud because they gave me 100% with intensity, with a lot of attitude, so we are happy. We are in the half-time of the qualifiers, so now try to rest after a very difficult game for us.”

Inter Miami will next face New York City in the MLS on Saturday, February 22.