León knock Inter Miami out as Messi returns hours after father’s funeral | OneFootball

Club León eliminated Inter Miami from the Leagues Cup with a 3-2 comeback, despite Lionel Messi’s return.

According to interheron.com, Messi had travelled from his father’s funeral in Argentina only hours before kick-off.

Teenagers Lovend's Delinois, 18, and Dániel Pintér, 19, started up front again and still await their first-team goals. Miami lacked Luis Suárez through suspension and were without Germán Berterame, Mateo Silvetti and Tadeo Allende because of injuries.

Miami led 1-0 at the break, then León struck three times after the restart, with Daniel Arcila scoring twice, to turn it around. Messi came on at half-time but could not ignite a depleted attack. The Esmeraldas finished Phase One 3-0 to reach the quarter-finals, while Miami ended 1-2.

León had been content to let Miami dominate possession in the first half, a draw was enough for the Mexican side. After the interval Javier Gandolfi added a striker and pressed high, while Guillermo Hoyos kept committing numbers forward, leaving gaps for counters.

Yannick Bright was Miami’s standout, forcing in their second from a corner and earning a team-best 8.3 on FotMob, with only Arcila higher at 9.1.

Micael dos Santos Silva suffered an ankle sprain and went off on 33 minutes. An MRI later confirmed the severity and no return timeline was specified.

Las Garzas visit league-leading Nashville SC on Saturday. The Coyotes are 12-2-4 with 40 points, Miami are 11-2-5 on 38, in a rivalry that remains intense.

Source: interheron.com

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