Messi Injury Shakes Inter Miami as They Edge Necaxa in Leagues Cup Thriller
So here's what went down in one of the most dramatic moments of the 2025 Leagues Cup so far. Inter Miami faced off against Mexico’s Necaxa in what was expected to be a fairly routine group stage game, but it turned into something way more intense — and it started with a big scare. Just minutes into the match, Lionel Messi, yes the Messi, went down with an apparent leg injury.
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It happened in the 6th minute. He was making one of his classic sprints past defenders, just outside the penalty box, when he suddenly tripped and hit the ground hard. Right away, you could see something was wrong — he slapped the turf and looked clearly in pain. Even though he managed to get up and walk back to the bench on his own, he was visibly frustrated, even slapping the back of his thigh. A couple of minutes later, play was stopped and Messi was subbed out in the 11th minute. Federico Redondo came in to replace him.
From there, Inter Miami had to regroup fast — and credit to them, they did. Not long after Messi left the field, Telasco Segovia opened the scoring with a goal for Miami, assisted by newcomer Rodrigo De Paul, who's been showing promise already. But the game was anything but settled.
Necaxa responded, and eventually the match ended 2-2 in regular time, with Jordi Alba scoring a dramatic equalizer late in the match to keep Miami in it. That meant it went to a penalty shootout — because, in Leagues Cup play, no ties are allowed. It’s either a win in regulation, or penalties decide the outcome.
And man, the shootout was tense. Both teams traded goals early, and at one point it was tied 4-4. But the moment of truth came when Necaxa’s Tomás Badaloni was blocked by Inter Miami’s goalkeeper Rocco RÃos Novo. That stop was crucial. Finally, it came down to Luis Suárez, and he calmly slotted it home to seal a 5-4 win in penalties for Inter Miami.
Now, this win gives Miami a much-needed boost in the group standings, but all eyes are on Messi’s injury. The team still has two more group games to go, and they’ll need to perform well — with or without him — to advance to the knockout rounds. Coach Javier Mascherano had said earlier that “a lot can happen” in these next two matches, and he’s not wrong. This tournament just got a whole lot more unpredictable.
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