Inter Miami were unsuccessful in their US Open Cup final
Lionel Messi was unable to help Inter Miami to a second trophy as he watched his side lose to Houston Dynamo in the US Open final from the sidelines.
Messi’s availability was 50/50 heading into the game but the Argentine was eventually declared not fit enough to even make the bench as Inter Miami fell to a 2-1 defeat on Wednesday night.
Goals from Griffin Dorsey and Amine Bassey in the opening 33 minutes put Houston in the driving seat and proved to be too much for Messi’s teammates, who could only reply with a consolation from Josef Martinez.
The 36-year-old looked visibly upset come the full time whistle as the camera panned to him and his wife, Antonela Roccuzzo.
Had the Herons been successful it would’ve been only their second trophy since the club’s formation after they lifted the Leagues Cup earlier this year.
Speaking after the game, Miami head coach Gerardo Martino revealed that the chances of Messi being fit enough in time to play were never high.
“It wasn’t prudent for him to play, not even to consider him for a few minutes,” he said. “We will go match-by-match and see where the medical department can give us the okay.”
Reacting to the defeat, Martino added: “I saw a worn team, the consequence of so many matches. If this match went into extra time, the match Inter Miami has on Saturday would have to be played by the technical staff.
“At some point we were going to see the consequences of so many games. We began to feel them on the side of the injuries and on the performance side.”
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