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Lionel Messi's Inter Miami were sent crashing out of the 2024 Leagues Cup following a defeat to Columbus Crew. As the legendary player missed the action with a ligament injury, fans pointed out the differences when the club are with and without his services. The Herons surrendered their crown to the reigning MLS Cup champions as they lost 3-2 in the Round of 16 on Tuesday (August 13).
Inter Miami have the best record in the MLS this season and sit atop the Eastern Conference standings despite Messi's absence. This time last year, they were one of the poorest sides in the league before the Argentine icon propelled them to Leagues Cup glory.
Gerardo Martino's side had defeated Columbus Crew 2-1 in their league meeting back in June and were looking to repeat the trick in the Leagues Cup. However, with their talismanic forward out injured, it was a huge ask of the team, and they ultimately fell short.
The club's fans were disappointed with the result and its implication on their season. They took to X to share their thoughts on the game.
"Messi winning a trophy for this Inter Miami team might be a bigger achievement than his World Cup. These guys STINK," a fan wrote.
"Inter Miami with Lionel Messi (winners). Inter Miami without Lionel Messi (lost in the Round of 16)," another fan chimed in
A fan account analyzed the performance and what went wrong in the game.
"🚨FT Thoughts: Tata’s ability to make subs is terrible❌, Poor defending in the last 30 mins ❌, Huge chances missed at the end ❌, We will terribly miss Diego Gomez ❌", they posted.
Another fan took the opportunity to compare the impacts of the Argentine great and Cristiano Ronaldo.
"No Messi = No Leagues Cup = No Party 🏆 The way Messi carried this bottom ranked Inter Miami team to their first ever trophy in history winning both best player and Top scorer award is bigger than anything Ronaldo has done in the Saudi Camel League, they wrote.
A fan shared their disappointment at the result and how they lost 3-2 after leading 2-0.
"Inter Miami were 2-nil up before I slept, and now they're out 😩 Tough, they wrote.
A fan advised the club to sign better defenders to reduce the amount of goals they concede.
"Inter Miami should sign high profile defenders, they concede wayy too much goals, they posted.
MLS Cup holders Columbus Crew will now face New York City FC in the quarterfinals of the tournament on Saturday (August 17), with a new champion guaranteed. Martino's side, on the other hand, will focus on the league and other cup competitions while expecting their captain to recover soon.
Lionel Messi-less Inter Miami bottle lead, crash out of Leagues Cup
In Lionel Messi's absence, Inter Miami saw their Leagues Cup title defense come to an abrupt end against Columbus Crew in the round of 16. The Herons surrendered a two-goal lead to lose 3-2 away from home.
Matias Rojas opened the scoring for the Herons in the 10th minute. Brighton & Hove Albion-linked midfielder Diego Gomez added a second goal for Martino's side after 62 minutes to put them in control.
The MLS champions roared back with two goals in three minutes to level the tie. Christian Ramirez pulled one back for the side in the 67th minute before Diego Rossi scored his side's equalizer just two minutes later. Rossi completed the turnaround in the 80th minute with a well-taken goal to send his side into the quarterfinals.
