Superstar Lionel Messi has not yet recovered from his injury and continues to be absent from the quarter-final first leg between Inter Miami and Monterrey.

Lionel Messi continues to disappoint Inter Miami fans when he is not on the home team’s registration list to welcome Monterrey in the first leg of the CONCACAF Champions Cup quarter-finals (CONCACAF C1 Cup).

However, with the remaining names in hand, coach Martino still helped Inter Miami create a very reasonable match against their Mexican opponent, Monterrey. Inter Miami’s counter-attacking defense helped them secure their home field, before creating a few dangerous attack opportunities.

One of them was taken advantage of by Inter Miami with midfielder Aviles’ goal from Gressel’s corner kick. In the stands, Messi smiled brightly as he watched his teammates celebrate the goal. The rest of the first half saw Monterrey’s deadlock in reaching the home team’s goal.

In the second half, things did not change much as Inter Miami remained loyal to their tight defensive style. However, the turning point came in the 65th minute when David Ruiz received a second yellow card and was disqualified.

With 10 people on the field, Inter Miami left more space and Monterrey took full advantage. Immediately after having the advantage, the visitors equalized from a corner kick with Meza’s kick.

Messi’s worried expression showed that the Argentine superstar had a bad feeling about the fate of his home team. Indeed, in the 89th minute, Jorge Rodriguez scored with a beautiful kick from outside the penalty area after Diego Gomez miserably lost the ball.

Losing 1-2 at home, Inter Miami can only blame themselves and they will have to find a way to correct their mistakes in the return match taking place a week later in Mexico.

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