On the morning of April 4, coach Tata Martino made a risky decision not to use Messi, causing Inter Miami to lose 1-2 to Monterrey in the quarterfinals of the first leg of the CONCACAF Champions Cup.

Without Messi, coach Tata Martino used the Inter Miami attack with the trio of Robert Taylor, Luis Suarez and Julian Gressel. In defense, Nicolas Freire promptly returned with young player Tomas Aviles, only 19 years old, playing in the central defender position. Famous players Jordi Alba, Busquets and new signing Marcelo Weigandt all feature in the first team.

Messi (left) had to sit outside and watch the match with his children and family

TNT Sports

With this lineup, Inter Miami took advantage of home field advantage to control the match quite well against strong opponent from Mexico, Monterrey. In the 18th minute, Julian Gressel took a dangerous corner kick, helping young midfielder Tomas Aviles join in the surprise attack and hit a close-range shot to increase the score to 1-0.

The goal helped Inter Miami play solidly in defense, while there were always quick attacks that caused many difficulties for Monterrey.

However, in the second half, everything reversed for Inter Miami when Monterrey rose up and applied intense pressure. As for Inter Miami, midfielder Robert Taylor had to leave the field due to injury at the end of the first half, causing the attack to lack sharpness. He continued to play with 10 people when David Ruiz received 2 yellow cards and left the field in a 10-man situation. 66th minute

Difficulties piled up, Inter Miami let Monterrey equalize 1-1 in the 69th minute thanks to Maximiliano Meza. At the end of the match, Inter Miami’s defense made a mistake, helping Jorge Rodriguez increase the score to 2-1 for Monterrey. These goals give the Mexican team many advantages before the return leg at home thanks to the away goals rule.

Tomas Aviles (center) opened the score for Inter Miami

Inter Miami Club

Meanwhile, Messi’s injury has progressed more positively. The famous Argentine player also returned to normal training this Tuesday, but coach Tata Martino still could not take any risks and decided to let him continue to rest.

According to ESPN, coach Tata Martino will use Messi to replay the match against Colorado Rapids in MLS at 6:30 a.m. on April 7 to prepare for the return match against Monterrey away from home at 9:30 a.m. on April 11. , for a chance to win tickets to the semi-finals of the CONCACAF Champions Cup.

Having lost the first leg at home to Monterrey, Inter Miami will face more difficulties in the second leg away from home.

Inter Miami Club

This April, Inter Miami will play a total of 6 matches, including 2 matches against Monterrey and 4 matches in the MLS tournament. To reach the semi-finals of the CONCACAF Champions Cup, the team of Mr. David Beckham, president and co-owner, will also play two more matches.

Therefore, coach Tata Martino has cautiously used Messi to avoid this famous player being re-injured or overloaded, easily leading to a long-term layoff.