The striped This Wednesday Monterrey Mexicans defeated the power (3-1). Inter Miami of Leo Messi to qualify for the semifinals of Concacaf Champions Cup. In the second leg of the quarterfinals, Brandon Vázquez, Argentine Germán Berterame and Jesús Gallardo scored for Monterrey, who took the series 5-2, having won the first leg 1-2 last week. Paraguayan Diego Gómez scored for Inter in a match that saw Jordi Alba sent off for a double yellow card.
Miami dominated possession throughout the game, but was unable to trouble Argentine Esteban Andrada, Monterrey’s goalkeeper, for most of the game, something the Rayados took advantage of to open the scoring from the first half. After two saves by Inter goalkeeper Drake Callender, Callender himself made a poor start to the ball which allowed Vázquez to intercept the ball to make it 1-0 in the 31st minute.
Messi, in his first official match in Mexico, tried to stand up for his team, however his clearest shot of the entire match was in the 25th minute and went over the crossbar. Rayados defined the rivalry in the second half. In the 58th minute, Gerardo Arteaga ran down the left wing and made a cross that Berterame, after beating a defender, converted for a 2-0 scoreline.
With no response from Messi or his teammates, another mistake by the Miami defense allowed Berterame to filter a lob pass to Gallardo, who with a header made it 3- 0 that ensured Monterrey’s spot in the semifinals. Almost at the end of the match, Messi took a free kick in the area where Diego Gómez took advantage of not being pressured by a defender to make it 3-1 with his header in the 85th minute.
Rayados del Monterrey will face Columbus Crew, MLS champions, in the semifinals of the Champions Cup, having eliminated Mexican Tigres UANL on Tuesday.
DATA SHEET
3 – Monterrey: Esteban Andrada; Erick Aguirre, Stefan Medina, Víctor Guzmán, Gerardo Arteaga; Maximiliano Meza (Jordi Cortizo m.80), Luis Romo (César Garza m.85), Sergio Canales (Alfonso González m.85), Jesús Gallardo; Germán Berterame and Brandon Vásquez (Omar Govea m.76)
1 – Inter Miami: Drake Callender; Marcelo Weigandt, Tomás Avilés, Niclás Freire, Noah Allen, Jordi Alba; Julián Gressel, Sergio Busquets, Diego Gómez; Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi
The objectives: 1-0, Brando Vázquez (m. 31); 2-0, Germán Berterame (m. 58); 3-0, Jesús Gallardo (m. 64); 3-1, Diego Gómez (m. 85)
Referee: Ivan Barton, from El Salvador. He warned Luis Suárez, Jordi Alba and Stefan Medina. He fired Jordi Alba.
Incidents: Second leg of the quarterfinals of the Concacaf Champions Cup, played at the BBVA stadium in Monterrey, in northern Mexico
Source: La Verdad
I’m Rose Herman and I work as an author for Today Times Live. My expertise lies in writing about sports, a passion of mine that has been with me since childhood. As part of my job, I provide comprehensive coverage on everything from football to tennis to golf.
