FC Cincinnati clearly beat Messi’s Inter Miami, defeating them 3-0 at TQL Stadium. After 16 minutes, Gerardo Valenzuela opened the scoring, and Brazilian Evander scored a second-half brace, snapping Javier Mascherano’s team’s five-game winning streak.
This victory also interrupted Lionel Messi’s impressive streak of five consecutive games with Lionel Messi’s double-double.
Messi’s “bête noire” remains unbeaten
Buzzy
Cincinnati remains the only team in MLS that Messi has yet to score against in official matches.
While Messi has scored goals in 56 of his last 66 games for Miami, Cincinnati has emerged as his bête noire.
This defeat not only cuts short a winning trend, but poses new challenges for Miami.
Golden Shoe and tighter table
In the race for the MLS Golden Boot, three players are dominating strongly:
Nashville’s Sam Surridge and Lionel Messi, both with 16 goals, followed closely by Evander with 15.
Miami’s loss strengthens the fight for the top scorer award.
Meanwhile, Cincinnati consolidates its position in second place in the Eastern Conference with 45 points, only behind the leader Philadelphia.
Evaluation of Mascherano
After the match, coach Javier Mascherano admitted: “Clearly today we were outclassed from the start….”
We've been throguh a heavy stretch, and in the end, it takes a toll
Javier Mascherano
The coach stressed the need to better manage the team’s physical load and adjust strategies for the upcoming games.
These include challenges against New York Red Bulls and the upcoming Leagues Cup.
After the defeat, Messi’s Inter Miami will now focus on their visit to the New York Red Bulls on July 19 and then on the Leagues Cup, which will allow them to face Mexican teams such as Atlas, Necaxa and Pumas UNAM.
The pressure in the race for the Golden Boot is mounting, and every game will be key for the domestic contender.
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