Messi signed two geniuses and Inter Miami won the Supporters’ Shield

Lionel Messi sealed two wonderful goals and Luis Suarez also added a point for Inter Miami win 2-3 in Columbus Crew and thus conquer the MLS Supporters Shield, the title won each year by the best team in the regular season. It should not be confused with the MLS Cup, which is the most prestigious trophy in the United States and Canada and is awarded to the winner of the MLS playoffs.

This MLS Supporters’ Shield represents the second title in Inter Miami’s short history after the Leagues Cup it won in 2023 a few weeks after the arrival in the US of Messi, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba. Now with Luis Suárez also in the squad that rounds out the meeting of former FC Barcelona players, this victory also guarantees Inter Miami’s home field throughout the MLS ‘playoffs’, including the hypothetical final . In addition, a place for the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup is still up in the air, which is matched by invitation to the host country, in this case FIFA is in charge of deciding who the place will go to and which has yet to be announced. will be the criterion.

It was not a walk for the team led by Gerardo Martino because the match in Columbus was explosive, very entertaining and there were options until the end for both teams despite the fact that the Crew was left with ten players in 63rd minute with 0-. 2 At half-time and 1-3 as the second half began, the Columbus Crew continued to fight and Colombian Juan Camilo ‘Cucho’ Hernández had the tying goal with a penalty in the 84th minute hero today night: goalkeeper Drake Callender, who stopped the maximum penalty from the coffee striker.

‘Cucho’, also from a penalty, and Uruguayan Diego Rossi had previously scored goals for the Columbus Crew. Two goals were scored in the first half which were eventually disallowed. The first came in the 8th minute with the boot of ‘Cucho’, who fell down the left wing and beat Callender with a fantastic shot. However, the referee disallowed the Columbus Crew’s goal due to the Colombian’s advanced position. Subsequently, Inter Miami also saw its goal disallowed when the referee disallowed Argentine Marcelo Weigandt’s goal for offside in the 25th minute.

The Columbus Crew started better, with intense pressure and pace to continue the attack. But from the middle of the first half, Inter Miami went quiet and the match, at times stalled and with some bold fouls, seemed to end in a draw and goalless at halftime. Nothing could be further from the truth. Messi, who barely featured in the entire first half, broke through the Columbus Crew defense in the 45th minute, brilliantly controlled Jordi Alba’s pass with his chest and finished well after cutting past two rivals to become 0-0. Five minutes later, the magician from Rosario pulled another genius out of his hat and made it 0-2 with a direct free kick, which eluded the home team’s barrier from the outside.

The Columbus Crew came back into the fray after the restart and it took just 25 seconds to score thanks to Rossi, who grabbed the rebound and nailed a perfectly threaded shot at the far post. The Ohio team’s joy was short-lived as, two minutes later, Suárez scored with a header after a huge error by goalkeeper Patrick Schulte and defender Rudy Camacho.

The fresh splash of cold water was uncertain for the Columbus Crew, who continued to fight and scored a penalty out of nowhere on a handball from Noah Allen. Cucho made it 2-3 from eleven meters in the 61st minute, however, Wilfried Nancy’s team suffered another very serious setback in the 63rd minute when Camacho was sent off for a double yellow.

Tireless even with ten and against an Inter Miami that struggled to keep the ball and sleep in the game, the Columbus Crew had a golden opportunity in the 84th minute with another penalty after Ian Fray’s handball. However, ‘Cucho’ collided with Callender and Messi and Inter Miami’s company sealed the MLS Supporters’ Shield title.