The unlimited Messi-Alba partnership, so often prolific at FC Barcelona, ??also works in Miami. The ’10’ and ’18’ teamed up in the 92nd minute to rescue a point for the Florida team in the field of Riqui Puig’s Los Angeles Galaxy, who wasted a maximum penalty at the start of the game.
The Los Angeles team came out better in the clash, thanks to the counterattacks led by the one from Matadepera. Precisely, in the 12th minute, the former FC Barcelona footballer took a penalty committed by Sergio Busquets, who knocked down Paintsil in the area. Riqui Puig, with the ’10’ on his back, shot to the left side of Drake Callender, Inter Miami goalkeeper, who stopped the shot with a great intervention.
Despite the error, the Catalan again had a clear chance to put his team ahead, but his shot ended up hitting the crossbar when the 27th minute was running. The herons, as the team chaired by David Beckham is known, were tremendously lower in the first half. Of the former Barça players, only Messi was moderately inspired in the first 45 minutes.
However, ‘Tata’ Martino’s team came out looking different after the break. The Argentine star was beginning to show signs at the Dignity Health Sports Park and Los Angeles Galaxy goalkeeper John McCarthy had to intervene several times. Even so, the hosts took the lead in the 75th minute, when Riqui Puig tested Callender again. The Inter Miami goalkeeper repelled down low, but left the rebound to Dejan Joveljic, who made it 1-0.
The goal woke up the Florida team. The visitors locked down the Angelenos in the last minutes, who resisted as best they could. However, in ’92, the usual combination appeared. Messi and Alba played several passes between them before the winger placed a cross inside the area for the Argentine, who scored his first goal of the season.
With the score at 1-1, the Herons went for more, and the current Ballon d’Or winner had the score at 1-2, but his shot went over the goal. Those from Florida did not complete the comeback, but they were able to avoid the first defeat of the course, which places them at the top of the standings.
Despite this, ‘Tata’ Martino is not entirely satisfied, since his team once again had two very different parts, something that already happened to them in the first match of the season, against Real Salt Lake. “We had to play a weak first half. In the second half the team began to feel better, we began to control the game a little more, the ball ran more fluidly and I have the feeling that the best moment the team had was with the changes,” declared the Argentine coach.
LA Galaxy: John McCarthy; Miki Yamane, Maya Yoshida, Martín Cáceres, Julian Aude (J. Nelson, d. 79); Mark Delgado, Edwin Cerrillo; Diego Fagundez (Gabriel Pec, m.69), Riqui Puig, Joseph Paintsil (Miguel Berry, m. 86); and Dejan Joveljic (D. Aguirre, d. 86).
Inter Miami: Drake Callender; DeAndre Yedlin, Tomás Avilés, Sergii Kryvtsov, Jordi Alba; Sergio Busquets, Diego Gomez (S. Borgelin, d. 84), Julian Gressel (L. Sunderland, d. 84); Leo Messi, Luis Suárez (David Ruiz, m. 67) and Robert Taylor (Leonardo Campana, m. 67).
Goals: 1-0, m.75: Dejan Joveljic. 1-1, m.92: Lionel Messi.
Referee: Gabriele Ciampi (United States). He cautioned Delgado, Gressel, Busquets and Alba.
Incidents: First game of the new MLS season for LA Galaxy, played at the Dignity Health Sports Park stadium with almost 27,000 spectators.
