Latest news with #JavierMascherano
TimesLIVE
14 hours ago
- Sport
- TimesLIVE
Messi guides Inter to win over Porto, Riveiro's Ahly lose, Botafogo shock PSG
Lionel Messi's stunning free kick secured Inter Miami a 2-1 win over Porto in their Club World Cup Group A clash on Thursday, marking the first time a Concacaf team has defeated a European side in an official Fifa tournament. The Argentinian great was pivotal as the Major League Soccer side bounced back from their disappointing goalless draw against Egyptian side Al Ahly in their opening match. Inter's win boosts their chances of a deep run. After Fifa controversially granted Javier Mascherano's side a backdoor entry, Messi has become front and centre in the revamped, 32-team competition, drawing crowds while continuing to elevate the sport in a country long lukewarm towards the world's game. 'It's a great joy. A lot of effort went into it, and we worked very well. I'm very happy. We were left with a bitter taste after the first match. We thought we could have won it. "[In the free kick] I took advantage of the space left by the goalkeeper, who was standing still and not covering his post. I tried to score there. 'The other day [there were] nerves from a lot of young guys playing in such a significant competition [in Inter's 0-0 opening draw against Al Ahly]. We've changed. 'We're going to compete, try to play our game. Today we were the inferior team, but we have our weapons. Next up is Palmeiras, which is a big club in the world. It's going to be another very difficult game.' Also on Thursday night Brazil's Botafogo withstood waves of attacks from Paris St Germain to stun the European champions 1-0 and throw Group B wide open. PSG dominated possession at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena but Botafogo's resolute defence stood tall in the first competitive meeting between the two clubs. The goal came in the 36th minute when Botafogo gained possession in midfield and Jefferson Savarino slid a pass through for Igor Jesus to run in on goal. Jesus outmanoeuvred two defenders and his shot deflected off the leg of PSG's Willian Pacho, the ball changing direction and leaving goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma flat-footed. PSG continued to be the aggressors in the second half as Botafogo were content to protect their lead and try to capitalise on the break. The Brazilians became the first team to stop PSG scoring since March when Liverpool defeated them 1-0 in the Champions League. The French side had scored in 19 consecutive games until losing on Thursday. Botafogo coach Renato Paiva said his team had beaten PSG at their own game. 'Being a great team, playing together, all the guys defending, all the guys attacking, and that's the big secret of this PSG team, that's why they compete and win,' he said. 'They are a fantastic team. PSG are a lesson to everybody nowadays in football. And I told my guys, 'Just be a team, enjoy playing together, attack together, defend together, and enjoy'. And they did they did it. Fantastic.' PSG were once again without Ousmane Dembele, who suffered an injury while playing for France in the Uefa Nations League earlier this month Brazil's four teams at the 32-club tournament are unbeaten so far and Paiva said it showed the strength of the game in the South American nation. 'Brazil will always be Brazil in world football.' Pablo Barrios' brace lifted Atletico Madrid to a 3-1 victory over the Seattle Sounders on Thursday, getting the Spanish side's Group B campaign back on track. Axel Witsel also scored as Atletico bounced back form their opening 4-0 loss to Paris St-Germain. In Thursday's early game, Brazil's Palmeiras scored twice in the space of 10 second-half minutes to beat Al Ahly of Egypt 2-0 in their Group A clash that was halted for 50 minutes because of fears over stormy weather at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. Ahly, coached by former Orlando Pirates boss José Riveiro, started with a 0-0 draw against Messi's Inter and will have to beat Porto in their final match on Tuesday to stand a chance of progressing. Ahly's Palestine international striker Wessam Abou Ali headed into his own net trying to defend a free kick whipped in by Anibal Moreno, getting into a mix-up with his defenders to hand Palmeiras a 49th-minute lead. The first goal in the group was followed 10 minutes later by a swift counterattack from the Brazilian club, expertly finished by Jose Manuel Lopez, who had come on at half time.
Yahoo
15 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Messi's 'winning spirit' surprising: Inter Miami's Mascherano
Inter Miami coach Javier Mascherano hailed Lionel Messi's winning mentality after the 2-1 win over Porto at the Club World Cup on Thursday. (ALEX GRIMM) Inter Miami coach Javier Mascherano admitted he is surprised at Lionel Messi's desire to win after the MLS side shocked Porto at the Club World Cup on Thursday. Veteran playmaker Messi curled home a fine free-kick in a man-of-the-match performance at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, the winning goal in Miami's 2-1 Group A victory over their Portuguese opponents. Advertisement Mascherano said his Argentine compatriot's competitive spirit at 37 was more surprising to him than the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner's quality. "Beyond his goal... he's a player who shows us how to compete, his hunger, his desire to continue competing at whatever level it is," Mascherano told reporters. "In a footballing sense, what else is there to say? He's the best player that has played this sport in its history, but what is surprising is his will to win. "Today, even in the last minutes, tired, with a knock, he kept helping the team in any way he could, in attack, in defence, to get the result... Advertisement "We know having him gives us an advantage, but above all, through his contagious spirit, the winning spirit that he has." Many expected Porto to beat Inter Miami but the American side recorded a first ever victory in a competitive match for an MLS team against European opposition and the first shock at the Club World Cup. "I think that we understood that in football there are obviously hierarchies, and we were facing against a team at a high level, with international players," said Mascherano. "But we were convinced that if we did what we had to do, if we had a plan, if we supported each other, if we were together, but above all, if we dared to play, we could compete." Advertisement Samu Aghehowa netted a first-half penalty for Porto but Telasco Segovia and Messi's strikes after the break earned Inter Miami victory which puts them level on four points with Palmeiras at the top of the group. "What I told them (at half-time) was... to raise their spirits, because we had clearly showed we could compete, and that we had reached a moment where I didn't care about the result," added Mascherano. "What I was interested in was showing we were capable of playing with and without the ball, and they understood, they picked themselves up and in the end it was a great afternoon for us." rbs/sev
New York Times
15 hours ago
- Sport
- New York Times
GOAL! Samu makes no mistake from the spot!
Follow reaction from Atlanta where Lionel Messi led Inter Miami past Porto with a brilliant winning goal Getty Images Lionel Messi has led Inter Miami to their first Club World Cup victory thanks to a brilliant second-half free kick against Porto. The European side took the lead early on with Samu Aghehowa scoring from the penalty spot in the eighth minute. But, like in their first match, Miami were much improved in the second half. Telasco Segovia scored a brilliant half volley before Lionel Messi magic from a free kick gave the MLS side the lead. And it was a lead they were able to protect, moving them onto four points in this tournament and in a great position to make the knockouts. GO FURTHER Inter Miami 2 Porto 1: Messi's magical free kick lights up Club World Cup in comeback win Connections: Sports Edition Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Getty Images 8' Inter Miami 0-1 Porto No penalty-saving heroics from Oscar Ustari this time! The Inter Miami goalkeeper got a hand to the penalty down to his right, but couldn't quite keep it out. A much-needed fast start for Porto, but a nightmare one for the MLS side. 7' Inter Miami 0-0 Porto As expected every time a referee is sent to the VAR monitor, the on-field decision has been overturned. Porto have a penalty and Inter Miami manager Javier Mascherano is not happy. Samu Aghehowa will take... 6' Inter Miami 0-0 Porto The Porto staff and players were incensed that they didn't get a penalty when Joao Mario was bundled over in the penalty area by Noah Allen. It certainly looked like a foul and the referee has been sent to the VAR monitor for a second look... Getty Images 3' Inter Miami 0-0 Porto We didn't see much at all from Luis Suarez in the first game of the tournament, but he was straight into the action in this one. He made a good run into the box and was picked out by a delicate chipped pass from Lionel Messi, but struggled to generate any power at full stretch and Claudio Ramos was able to deny him. The replays showed that Suarez was probably offside, so it may not have counted. 1' Inter Miami 0-0 Porto The ball is rolling in Atlanta for this really important game in Group A. Porto are the favourites to win, but there is one man on the Inter Miami team that I'm sure would have something to say about that... Messi gets the loudest ovation during the awkward player walk outs. Mercedes-Benz Stadium is domed ground so even with the empty seats that many views will notice, it's still a very loud environment. Getty Images More sheepish player walk-outs at this Club World Cup as they all walk out of the tunnel individually. As you can imagine, there was a massive cheer from the supporters when Lionel Messi made his way out onto the turf. It looks like another sparse crowd inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium, unfortunately. Getty Images The first victory in Group A at this Club World Cup belongs to Palmeiras! After the weather delay, the Brazilians came out and defended their 2-0 lead to move to the top of the group. That makes it extremely unlikely for Al Ahly to progress to the knockouts. A win for either Inter Miami or Porto here would be huge... So many people are here to see Messi, but to Jack's point, I admit that I'm excited to see Rodrigo Mora up close. Huge talent. Getty Images Interested to get another look at Rodrigo Mora this afternoon. He didn't have the best game against Palmeiras but expectations are high for what he can do this tournament. He is tricky, wriggly, with a subterranean centre of gravity. Given how much space Inter Miami afforded Al-Ahly's forwards, he may enjoy himself here. Getty Images Jordi Alba is in the squad but misses out on the starting XI for the second consecutive game. Javier Mascherano told reporters yesterday that he had devised a plan for the former Barcelona full-back, teasing that Alba could make an appearance in the second half. Alba's absence is a big blow for Miami's chances today — his chemistry with Messi remains intact in the attacking third. Getty Images The ride over on the train was littered with pink Messi Miami jerseys and quite a few Argentina No. 10 shirts. The few times that Inter Miami has visited Atlanta for MLS matches, the crowd has been relatively favorable for the boys in pink. But will today's attendance break the 22,000+ that saw Chelsea defeat LAFC Monday? Inter Miami opened the tournament on Saturday evening with a Group A clash at Hard Rock Stadium, but it wasn't quite the start they would have wanted. Their first-half performance against Al Ahly was poor and they were fortunate that their Egyptian opponents were wasteful in attack. That said, Miami were much improved in the second half as Lionel Messi grabbed the game by the scruff of the neck. In the end, it was a game dominated by the goalkeepers as Mohamed El Shenawy kept out a string of goalbound efforts while Oscar Ustari was awarded the Player of the Match award after saving a penalty before half-time. It felt like both teams needed victory from that game to have a chance of making it through, so a draw was not an ideal opening result. As the only European team in Group A, Porto were fancied as the favourites to make it into the knockouts from there, but they didn't get off to the best start against Palmeiras on Sunday. In fact, they were actually dominated by their Brazilian opponents and were fortunate to come away from MetLife Stadium with a share of the points. Porto goalkeeper Claudio Ramos was the stand-out performer, which explains just how threatening Palmeiras were in forward areas. Despite that underwhelming draw, they will be confident of making it through from Group A. Getty Images No changes made by Porto for their second Group A match: Starting XI: Ramos; Martim, Ze Pedro, Marcano; Mario, Varela, Veiga, Moura; Vieira, Mora; Samu. Getty Images Here is how Inter Miami will start today's game: Starting XI: Ustari; Fray, Weigandt, Falcon, Allen; Busquets, Allende; Cremaschi, Messi, Segovia; Suarez. Getty Images Lots of discussion over the past few days over the weather in the United States. It was very hot in New Jersey earlier on with fans desperate to shield from the sun at MetLife Stadium. Well, that very quickly changed. It is still warm but thunderstorms have delayed the second half. The Palmeiras players will be enjoying the break more than their opponents as the Brazilians scored twice in the space of 10 second-half minutes to take a commanding lead. Getty Images It is fair to say the inclusion of Lionel Messi's Inter Miami as host representatives at this Club World Cup raised a few eyebrows. Inter Miami qualified after winning the 2024 Supporters' Shield, which is awarded to the MLS team with the best regular-season record — but that is not the national championship, which is decided by the subsequent play-off tournament and eventually sees the MLS Cup awarded to the winners. In past Club World Cup editions, the host nation's top league champions were awarded a bonus qualification spot as hosts. Inter Miami were knocked out in the first round by Atlanta United, with LA Galaxy going on to beat New York Red Bulls in the final. Still, the bonus is Miami's inclusion means Messi and his former Barcelona team-mates Luis Suarez, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba, all get the chance to be involved in the tournament. It's what the world would want, right? Let's remind ourselves as not every team has booked their place at the new format of the Club World Cup in the same way. Portuguese giants Porto are here as the fifth-best ranked team in the UEFA coefficient (based on rankings that cover a four-year period from 2021 to 2024). Meanwhile Inter Miami, not without controversy, qualified as the 'host club'. Stick around and we'll explain that in more detail...
Yahoo
19 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Lionel Messi's free kick was magical, but the most remarkable part of Miami's Club World Cup upset? The ‘young boys'
Inter Miami's Noah Allen bounced back from an early mistake to help the Herons upset Porto on Thursday in the Club World Cup. (Photo by Marcio Machado/Eurasia) The highlight that will loop was, of course, Lionel Messi's. In the 54th minute of a critical Club World Cup match, he lined up a free kick and … splash. He saw Porto's goalkeeper cheating. He picked out a top corner. He lifted 30,000 people from their seats, hauled Inter Miami toward the knockout rounds, and gave this start-up tournament its first signature moment. But that was not what made Miami head coach Javier Mascherano glow toward the end of his post-match press conference Thursday. Advertisement On Messi, 'what else can I say?' Mascherano asked. 'He's the best player to ever play the sport.' The subject of his two-minute monologue, instead, was what Messi called the 'young boys.' It was Noah Allen, Ian Fray and Benjamin Cremaschi, three homegrown players who, as Messi said, had exhibited some 'nerves' in Saturday's Club World Cup opener. That, Messi noted, was their 'first time playing in such a special, meaningful competition.' They'd struggled against Al Ahly in a 0-0 draw. To many observers, they embodied the reason Miami wouldn't be able to survive on this elevated stage. On Thursday in Atlanta, though, they thrived. Advertisement Allen, a 21-year-old from Pembroke Pines, Florida, recovered from an early mistake to put in a solid shift at left back. Cremaschi, 20, from Key Biscayne, excelled in three different positions. Fray, a 22-year-old who's already overcome three ACL tears and a meniscus injury in recent years, 'played at a very high level,' Mascherano said, and helped hold Porto's Samu Aghehowa and Rodrigo Mora — an attacking pair worth over $100 million — to just one goal from the penalty spot. Ian Fray (L) and Benjamin Cremaschi (R) played pivotal roles in holding Porto to just one goal in Inter Miami's 2-1 win Thursday. (Photo by Shaun Botterill - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images) (Shaun Botterill - FIFA via Getty Images) The three local kids made $91,383, $202,216 and $125,000 last season. Up against a European team of what Mascherano called 'top-level, international-level players,' many worried that they'd get exposed. They were only in the lineup because regular starters, such as Jordi Alba, were injured — and, critics argued, because MLS roster restrictions and spending caps prevented Inter Miami from adding better replacements. Advertisement This had been the narrative when Mexico's Monterrey dumped Miami out of the CONCACAF Champions Cup in Messi's first season. It was the excuse being readied at this Club World Cup, even the day before Saturday's and Thursday's games. 'It's clear that we needed new signings,' Mascherano said last Friday after a pre-Club World Cup transfer window shut without any additions. On Wednesday, Sergio Busquets and Federico Redondo both spoke about the league's self-imposed limits. 'I think what MLS is missing in order to take the next step is loosening the salary cap a bit, allowing for that freedom,' Redondo said. 'For football [here] to keep growing, more money needs to be invested — that's what's happening all over the world.' Advertisement That's what happens in Porto, at a club that regularly reaches the Champions League knockout stages. Although it often sells more than it buys, Porto had spent roughly $225 million on new signings since the summer of 2022 — far more than any MLS club has spent in its entire history. It came to the Club World Cup after its worst season in 10 years, and without a star like Messi; but its depth of talent, most assumed, would overrun Miami's aging and unbalanced squad. Instead, it was Miami who played on the front foot. It was Miami who 'suffered when we had to suffer,' as Mascherano said, but also held possession at times and dictated play. After 22-year-old midfielder Telasco Segovia equalized, and Messi gave Inter the lead, for 10 or 15 remarkable minutes, they controlled the ball and the game. They did that, in part, because they had Messi and Busquets and Luis Suarez. But they played coherent soccer — something they haven't always done — because not a single one of their 11 players looked out of place. That's a credit to Cremaschi, who Mascherano called 'a player with a huge heart.' Advertisement It's a credit to Allen, who the former Barcelona stalwart-turned-coach called 'one of my favorites. … He's a kid whose playing style reflects how I felt when I played.' And it's a credit to Fray, who 'has shown tremendous growth this season,' Mascherano added. "He's realizing that when he starts adding seriousness and focus to his game, he's a player with amazing qualities.' It's also a credit to Miami's academy, which is really what made Mascherano glow. 'I believe the club should see itself in players like that, homegrown players,' he said. 'It mustn't stop paying attention to the academy and its players. Because in the end, beyond the big names we have who show the way with their experience, the real sense of belonging comes from the people who are from the club.' Advertisement The academy, he said, is 'where, at least in my opinion, great teams are built.' Miami's was only established in 2019, and it's not why the Herons are here, on this stage. But it's part of why they could compete with a club like Porto, and part of why they'll forever hold a unique place in Major League Soccer history: as the first MLS team ever to beat a European opponent in an official competition.
Reuters
21 hours ago
- Sport
- Reuters
Messi guides Inter Miami to historic victory over Porto at Club World Cup
June 19 (Reuters) - Lionel Messi's stunning free kick secured Inter Miami a 2-1 win over Porto in their Club World Cup Group A clash on Thursday, marking the first time a CONCACAF team has defeated a European side in an official FIFA tournament. The Argentine great was pivotal as the Major League Soccer side bounced back from their disappointing goalless draw against Egyptian side Al Ahly in their opening match. WHY IT'S IMPORTANT: Inter Miami's win over Porto boosts their chances of a deep run in a tournament designed to pit champion clubs from across the globe against one another. The competition is taking place in 12 stadiums across the United States. After FIFA controversially granted Javier Mascherano's side a backdoor entry, Messi became front and center in the revamped competition, drawing crowds while continuing to elevate the sport in a country long lukewarm toward the world's game. The result also offers a glimpse at how North and South American sides stack up against traditionally dominant European sides. KEY QUOTES: Inter Miami captain Messi: "It's a great joy. A lot of effort went into it, and we worked very well. I'm very happy. We were left with a bitter taste after the first match. We thought we could have won it. "(In the free kick) I took advantage of the space left by the goalkeeper, who was standing still and not covering his post. I tried to score there. "The other day (there were) nerves from a lot of young guys playing in such a significant competition. We've changed. We're going to compete, try to play our game. Today we were the inferior team, but we have our weapons. Next up is Palmeiras, which is a big club in the world. It's going to be another very difficult game."
