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Inter Miami fans on X have waxed lyrical about Lionel Messi after he inspired them to a 3-1 comeback win over Los Angeles FC (LAFC). The two sides faced each other in the second leg of the CONCACAF Champions Cup quarter-finals at the Chase Stadium on Wednesday, April 9.
LAFC had the upper hand going into the second leg following their hard-fought 1-0 win over the Herons in the first leg. The visitors grabbed a daunting 2-0 lead on aggregate in the ninth minute via Aaron Long's brilliant finish into the bottom-left corner.
However, Lionel Messi stepped up for his side, leveling the scores in the 35th minute with an excellent strike into the top-right corner. Federico Redondo headed home (61') to hand Inter Miami the lead before Messi converted his penalty 23 minutes later to seal a 3-2 victory on aggregate.
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Lionel Messi was named the Player of the Match, garnering a match rating of 9.5. The 37-year-old created the most chances (seven) during the match and landed four shots on target from an attempted six (67 percent accuracy). He also won 10 duels and completed four dribbles from 12 attempts.
One Inter Miami fan praised Lionel Messi for his clutch performance, comparing him to Cristiano Ronaldo:
"Call me crazy but I’ve never seen Ronaldo drop a performance as clutch as Messi today"
Another fan tweeted:
"This Messi's performance is better than any match performance Ronaldo has ever had since he left Juventus."
Other fans reacted below:
"What a comeback by Inter Miami, Messi strikes twice. It had to be him," one fan commented
"Messi with 2 goals and 1 assist, coming in clutch, in spite of referees giving outrageous decisions against Inter Miami. Even at this age he is inevitable, GOAT effect," another added
"Still. This team is dead! Nothing comes from other players. Its only Messi. He is doing carry job at the age of nearly 38," one fan insisted
"Only the 🐐 can complete the comeback and he did," another chimed in
How did Lionel Messi's Inter Miami fare during their 3-1 win over LAFC?
Lionel Messi and Co. showed great perseverance in coming back from a two-goal deficit to defeat LAFC in the CONCACAF Champions Cup quarter-finals. Let's take a look at the stats to see how both teams performed:
The Herons dominated possession with 60 percent of the ball, completing 444 passes with an accuracy of 85 percent. Meanwhile, LAFC had 40 percent possession and completed 268 passes with an accuracy of 78 percent.
Inter Miami were also more threatening up front, landing 21 shots in total, with nine being on target. In comparison, LAFC were unable to make the most of their chances in the second half, landing 14 shots in total with nine being on target.
Disclaimer: The above stats were taken from FotMob on April 10, 2025, at 9:40 AM IST. They are subject to change.
