Lionel Messi and Inter Miami win the MLS Cup with a 3-1 victory over the Vancouver Whitecaps (AP Photo) Lionel Messi led Inter Miami to its first ever MLS Cup title with a superb performance in a 3-1 win over the Vancouver Whitecaps in Florida on Saturday. The Argentine superstar assisted two goals and played a key role in another, sparking wild celebrations in front of an electrified home crowd at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SIGN UP NOW!“This is the moment I’ve been waiting for and we’ve been waiting for as a team,” Messi, named MLS Cup MVP, said afterward.
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Miami took the lead with an early own goal from Edier Ocampo, but was secured by Ali Ahmed’s second-half equalizer for Vancouver.Messi responded in style, setting up Argentina team-mate Rodrigo De Paulo to restore Miami’s lead before providing the final pass for Tade Allende’s stoppage time goal to seal victory.The historic Major League Soccer triumph marked a moment of triumph for co-owner David Beckham, the former England and Manchester United star who has long envisioned bringing success to Miami.“There were many sleepless nights, but I always believed,” Beckham said afterward. “I always believed that I would bring the team here, and when I found the right partners, I knew that anything was possible.“We always promised our fans that we would bring success and bring the best players and today we have achieved that.”Vancouver – led by German legend Thomas Mueller – looked the more likely winner after recovering from Ocampo’s eighth-minute own goal to equalize through Ali Ahmed in the 60th minute.The Whitecaps almost took the lead moments after the equaliser, Emmanuel Sabbi’s 62nd-minute shot crashing onto both posts as Miami escaped.– Expensive mistakes –But with the Whitecaps in complete control, the Canadians were stunned when Miami regained the lead after a mistake by midfielder Andres Cubas.Cubas held on for too long and was robbed by Messi, who pounced before releasing De Paul to set up a clinical finish.Vancouver never recovered from that hammer blow and Miami got the party started in injury time when Messi played in Allende for the third time to make it 3-1.Whitecaps coach Jesper Sorensen said his side never recovered after falling behind to De Paul’s goal against the run of play.“We made some mistakes and they took advantage of that,” Sorensen said. “We made a mistake – the ball fell to Messi and he passed to Rodrigo. The game is decided in a few moments and when you play Miami, the players have to take advantage of those moments.” The win marks Inter Miami’s crowning achievement since the club – which joined the league as an expansion club in 2020 – successfully lured World Cup winner Messi to Miami in 2023.Saturday’s win also marked the end of an era for two key figures in Miami’s rise to the top of Major League Soccer, with Messi’s former Barcelona teammates and Spain internationals Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets headed for retirement.“That was one of the main goals – to say goodbye to two good friends who are now entering a new life in retirement,” eight-time Ballon d’Or winner Messi said of Alba and Busquets’ triumphant farewell.“It was very special for them and the whole team. We say goodbye in the best way to two of the best players in football history.”(With inputs from AFP)
