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Jordi Alba's four assists help Inter Miami outlast Toronto in Leagues Cup thriller
By Safid Deen, USA TODAY,
1 day ago
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Lionel Messi may still be sidelined, but Inter Miami has reached the Round of 16 in its Leagues Cup title defense.
Messi’s former Barcelona teammate Jordi Alba had four assists, Paraguayan standout Matias Rojas scored goals in each half, and Inter Miami beat Toronto FC , 4-3, in their Leagues Cup match on Thursday night.
Rojas (3’), Paraguay Olympian Diego Gomez (11’), Uruguayan standout Luis Suarez (20’) and Rojas again (59’) scored for Inter Miami during the match, with a smiling Messi sitting in the stands at Chase Stadium.
However, Inter Miami must sharpen its play if it hopes to continue in Leagues Cup.
Inter Miami’s sloppy play defensively allowed Toronto’s Lorenzo Insigne to score on penalty kicks in the 15th and 41st minutes of the match, resulting in just a 3-2 lead for Miami at halftime.
With a 4-2 lead, it appeared Toronto's Prince Owusu scored a header in the 79th minute, but the play was ruled an own goal by Inter Miami’s Noah Allen.
Inter Miami prevailed after playing down to 10 men after defender Héctor David Martínez was shown a red card in the 28th minute.
Thankfully, his foul was outside the penalty area, forcing Toronto to settle for a missed free kick blocked by goalie Drake Callender, instead of another penalty kick.
Inter Miami's foul trouble has come back to haunt them again in this match. Jordi Alba was penalized for a foul in the penalty area and Toronto's Lorenzo Insigne has scored his second penalty kick in the match in the 41st minute.
If this game wasn't eventful enough: Inter Miami defender Héctor David Martínez was shown a red card for a foul on Toronto's Prince Owusu. Inter Miami goalie Drake Callender blocked a free kick by Toronto's Lorenzo Insigne to keep the score 3-1.
The sequence resulted in a free kick, and not a penalty kick because the foul by Martinez happened just outside the penalty area. Still, Inter Miami will finish this match down to 10 men, instead of 11.
Three goals before 20 minutes? Not a bad start at all by Inter Miami. This time, Luis Suarez dribbled around a few defenders after Jordi Alba delivered his third assist in the match in the 20th minute.
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