Inter Miami clinched a dramatic win over Necaxa in the Leagues Cup on Saturday night, prevailing 5-4 in a penalty shootout after star forward Lionel Messi exited early with a hamstring injury.

Luis Suárez sealed the victory with the final spot-kick, while Jordi Alba’s stoppage-time header leveled the score at 2-2, forcing the match into penalties. Inter Miami converted all five attempts, with goalkeeper Rocco Ríos Novo making a key save against Tomás Badaloni in the third round.

Messi sustained the injury around the eighth minute while challenging for the ball near the penalty area. He walked off the pitch and received treatment on his right thigh before being substituted in the 11th minute. Head coach Javier Mascherano later said Messi wasn’t in significant pain but felt a strain, and further evaluation is scheduled for Sunday.

Inter Miami played most of the match with 10 men following a red card to Maxi Falcón in the early minutes. Necaxa also went down to 10 players after Cristian Calderón received a second yellow card in the 60th minute.

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Telasco Segovia gave Inter Miami the lead shortly after Messi’s departure, scoring off an assist from new signing Rodrigo De Paul, who tallied two assists in his second match with the club. Badaloni equalized in the 33rd minute for Necaxa. Ricardo Monreal later put the Mexican side ahead in the 81st, but Alba responded with a powerful header from a De Paul free kick to level the score again.

Despite winning their first two Leagues Cup matches, Inter Miami's progression depends on points accumulated in the Major League Soccer standings. Saturday’s result gave them five points, placing them at the top of the MLS table for now, with more matches remaining over the weekend.

The Leagues Cup features clubs from Major League Soccer and Liga MX, with the top four teams from each league’s table after three matches moving on to the knockout stage.

Source: Agency