Messi misses penalty in heavy Inter Miami defeat | OneFootball

Inter Miami fell this Saturday by 3-0 in their visit to Charlotte FC, on a disastrous night for Lionel Messi, who missed a Panenka-style penalty when the score was still tied.

The young Israeli striker Idan Toklomati scored all three goals for Charlotte FC, who matched the record of nine consecutive wins in the Major League Soccer (MLS), a mark previously held by the Seattle Sounders since 2018.

Messi, who started the match, felt the absence of his partner Luis Suárez on the pitch at Bank of America Stadium. The Uruguayan striker was serving the first of a three-match suspension for his involvement in the brawl after the Leagues Cup final, when he spat at a member of the Seattle Sounders coaching staff.

“I am worried, we lost 3-0,” said Inter coach Javier Mascherano at a press conference. “We had hoped to play a good match and get back to winning to regain our confidence.”

“This is what we have to go through now, it wasn’t the night we wanted. We need to get up quickly, on Tuesday we already have another tough match,” he added, referring to the league clash against the Seattle Sounders.

Support for Messi

When the score was still 0-0 in Charlotte, the referee awarded a penalty to Inter Miami after a foul by Frenchman Djibril Diani on Messi.

The Argentine star took the kick in the 32nd minute, but his chip shot down the center of the goal was read by Croatian Kristijan Kahlina, who first deflected the ball with his right hand and then held it firmly.

The stadium erupted when, just two minutes later, the home team launched a lightning counterattack and Toklomati opened the scoring.

“We can’t be unfair and blame the penalty, if there’s someone who has helped us win this season it’s Leo,” said Mascherano.

After the break…

Early in the second half, Charlotte once again exposed Inter Miami’s poorly positioned defense, and Toklomati appeared free again to score 2-0 in the 47th minute.

Argentine Tadeo Allende, Suárez’s replacement in the starting lineup, had a clear one-on-one chance in the 73rd minute, but the experienced Kahlina came out on top.

In the 80th minute, Inter was reduced to ten men after the sending off of young Argentine defender Tomás Avilés, who received a second yellow card.

Toklomati completed his hat-trick in the 84th minute, this time from the penalty spot. “We are very happy,” Kahlina emphasized. “Keeping a clean sheet is not just my achievement, it’s the whole team’s.”

Standings

With this defeat, Inter Miami dropped to seventh place in the Eastern Conference, with 46 points, 11 behind leaders Philadelphia Union, but with three games in hand.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.