Leagues Cup final: Lionel Messi and Inter Miami win thriller on penalties

Lionel Messi has won his first title since moving to the US as Inter Miami secured a thrilling victory over Nashville SC in the Leagues Cup final.

The match, held at GEODIS Park in Nashville, Tennessee, was a nail-biting encounter that ended in a 1-1 draw after regular time and had to be decided by penalties.

The first goal of the match came from Lionel Messi in the 23rd minute. The Argentine superstar, who had only joined Inter Miami seven matches prior, showcased his exceptional skills by latching onto a blocked effort at the top of the box, dancing past two Nashville defenders, and curling a shot into the top corner. This marked Messi’s tenth goal in the tournament.

Nashville SC would then step up the intensity especially in the second half as they launched attacks into the Miami box. Their persistence was finally rewarded as Nashville SC managed to restore parity in the 57th minute when Fafa Picault scored off a corner kick. The ball bounced just before Picault, who headed it towards the goal, taking a deflection off Cremaschi and going past Inter Miami’s goalkeeper, Callender.

The Miami goalkeeper was the busiest of the two shotstoppers on Saturday as he was called into action multiple times to keep the scores. Leonardo Campana then had a chance to win the game in the last minute of stoppage time as he ran into the box and was able to chip past the goalkeeper and made it to the end of his own pass. However, the Inter Miami forward could only hit the ball against the post.

With the scores level at the end of regulation time, the match proceeded to penalties. Messi won the toss and opted for Inter Miami to shoot first. The Argentine superstar would step and score the first penalty for his side

The penalty shootout was a tense affair, with both teams displaying excellent skill and composure. However, Callender was the star of the show as the Inter Miami goalkeeper saved penalties from Landal Leal and Nashville goalkeeper Eliott Panicco and also scored in the shootout as well.

Inter Miami emerged victorious with a 10-9 win on penalties as they secured their first title in the history of the club.