Lionel Messi, alongside Neymar Jr., was often made the scapegoat for PSG’s failure in the Champions League and domestically, making their own fans boo them sometimes. Those awful memories are now behind the World Cup winner, as he has been shown great love in Florida.
Sadly, Messi’s run of 11 goals in 11 games for his new club has been halted as he was forced off in the first half of Inter Miami’s game against Toronto FC, paving the way for Finnish midfielder Robert Taylor to take center stage.
Messi’s impressive scoring run takes a hit due to injury
Lionel Messi had been missing for two games since the international break ended as a precaution not to risk an injury to the man who has led the club to an impossible run of form. Since joining David Beckham’s Inter Miami, Messi has won a trophy, started an impossible charge towards the MLS playoffs, and scored 11 goals in 11 appearances—crazy achievements for a player who is thought to have passed his prime.
Fans finally got to see Lionel Messi in Inter Miami’s crunch game against Toronto FC, but their excitement was short-lived as the former Barcelona man was forced off in the 37th minute, a few minutes after Jordi Alba was also taken off. This clearly raised some concerns from some fans, who left the stadium when Messi was taken off. Sadly for them, they did not see a Messi-less Inter Miami crush Toronto FC 4 goals to nothing, with Messi’s replacement for the night, Robert Taylor, scoring a brace.
Inter Miami will not have to cope without Lionel Messi as they play in the U.S. Open Cup final against FC Cincinnati in six days. The good thing for Gerardo Martino is that he has enough quality in his squad to get results while Messi recovers from his injury.
Finnish star shines in Messi’s absence to finish off Toronto
Taylor put in a man-of-the-match performance in the absence of Messi to help Inter Miami get three valuable points as they hope to mount an unlikely charge towards the MLS playoffs. The Finnish midfielder scored Inter Miami’s second goal in the 54th minute to make it 2-0 before rounding up the night with his second and the team’s fourth goal in the 87th minute to give his team an emphatic win.
Robert Taylor has formed a great understanding with Lionel Messi on the pitch, so it was no surprise to see him step up in the absence of the Argentine for the remainder of the match after replacing the World Cup winner.
Can Inter Miami make the MLS playoffs? Tell us your predictions in the comments.
