Inter Miami failed to score for the first time since Lionel Messi joined the team, playing a scoreless draw with Nashville on Wednesday night. Messi failed to convert two free kick attempts in his first Major League Soccer match at home, and it was the first time during his Inter Miami tenure that he was kept off the score sheet. Read: Messi violates MLS media rules by not speaking with reporters after debut Inter Miami still earned a point in the standings as it looks to make a late-season playoff push. Miami entered the game 11 points shy of the MLS playoff line and needing to move up from 14th to ninth place to make the playoffs. Miami had won its previous nine matches as Messi's addition gave the team an immediate boost. He has scored 10 goals, including three multi-goal performances. Messi started the game Wednesday along with former Barcelona teammate Sergio Busquets after the two entered Miami's previous match against the New York Red Bulls in the 60th minute. Miami had no shots on goal Wednesay through the first 60 minutes as the team struggled to break through Nashville's defense. Messi attempted a free kick in the 60th minute after drawing a foul on Nashville's Dax McCarty, but the shot to the bottom-left corner was stopped by Elliot Panicco. Still, Inter Miami fans took out their phones to record the free kick, just in case the seven-time Ballon d'Or delivered another goal similar to the one in his debut — when he scored in the 94th minute to give Miami a win over Mexican Club Cruz Azul in the Leagues Cup opener. Read: Messi converts PK, assists on 2 goals, leading Miami past MLS-best Cincinnati in US Open Cup semi Nahsville's Hany Mukhtar had a goal erased by an offside call in the 69th minute. Messi got another chance in the 83rd minute, but the shot bounced off the wall of defenders. The two teams met 10 days ago in the Leagues Cup final. Messi scored early in regulation and converted the first shot in penalty kicks, and Miami won after an 11-round penalty kick shootout for its first ever trophy. Read: Messi leads Inter Miami to first ever trophy in Leagues Cup final Messi and Inter Miami players posed with co-owner Jorge Mas on the field Wednesday with the Leagues Cup trophy for the first time in front of their home fans.

Lionel Messi had two assists and converted a penalty kick as Inter Miami rallied from a two-goal deficit and beat MLS-leading Cincinnati 5-4 in penalties in a U.S. Open Cup semifinal on Wednesday night. Cincinnati jumped to a 2-0 lead before Messi set up a pair of goals by Leonardo Campana, tying the game at 2. Miami moved ahead when Josef Martínez scored three minutes into the first extra period, but Cincinnati tied the game at 3 when Yuya Kubo scored in the 114th minute, forcing penalty kicks. Also read : Messi leads Inter Miami to first ever trophy in Leagues Cup final Messi made Miami's first attempt in the shootout, and both teams were perfect through four rounds. Herons goalkeeper Drake Callender saved Nick Hagglund's kick in the fifth round, and Benjamin Cremaschi made his PK to send Miami to another tournament final. Miami advanced to face the winner of Wednesday's late semifinal between Houston and Salt Lake in the final in Sept. 27. Also read : Messi scores early in 1st game outside Florida for Inter Miami at FC Dallas Messi was held scoreless for the first time since joining Inter Miami in late July. His first assist of the game was on a free kick in the 68th minute to cut Miami's deficit to 2-1. He delivered a long cross into the box to set up Campana's second goal on a header that sent the game to overtime. The seven-time Ballon d'Or winner who led Argentina to the World Cup crown last year, had scored 10 goals in his first seven games with Miami, leading the team to the Leagues Cup title. He is set to make his Major League Soccer debut Saturday at the New York Red Bulls. Luciano Acosta and Brandon Vazquez scored the first two goals for Cincinnati. Also read : Lionel Messi set to make his Inter Miami debut in Leagues Cup opener against Cruz Azul Cincinnati took a 1-0 lead early in the first half on a nifty flick from Acosta, its Argentine No. 10 and captain, who scored his 14th goal across all competition this season off a header from Aaron Boupendza. Vazquez, a U.S. national team forward, doubled Cincinnati's lead in the 53rd minute on a laser from outside the box, off a low cross from former Atletico Madrid and Colombia international defender Santiago Arias.

Lionel Messi was suspended by Paris Saint-Germain for taking a trip to Saudi Arabia without the club’s permission, a person with knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press on Tuesday. The person would not specify the length of the suspension, though French media reported it to be two weeks. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss the matter. A two-week suspension would mean Messi would miss PSG’s next two games. L’Equipe and RMC Sport both reported the suspension without citing sources. Also read: Mbappé can't save slumping PSG in CL loss to Bayern Munich The person told the AP that the World Cup champion won’t be allowed to train or play with the team and won’t be paid during his suspension. PSG had denied Messi’s request to make the trip, the person said. The 35-year-old Messi has a commercial contract with Saudi Arabia to promote tourism in the Middle Eastern country. The suspension comes at a delicate time as the French club had hoped to extend the Argentine star’s contract beyond this season. Messi’s trip followed PSG’s surprise 3-1 loss to Lorient on Sunday, leaving the defending champions with a five-point lead over Marseille with five games left in the season. Messi played the full game. L’Equipe had reported that PSG coach Christophe Galtier pledged to give his players two days off — Monday and Tuesday — if they beat Lorient. Instead, the team trained on Monday and had Tuesday off. The forward joined PSG from Barcelona two years ago on hopes he could lead the team to an elusive Champions League title. Instead, the Qatari-backed club was eliminated in the round of 16 in consecutive seasons. The has been speculation about where he would play next, especially after reports that contract talks with PSG had broken down. Some PSG fans have even booed Messi amid the team’s inconsistent campaign. Messi led Argentina to the World Cup title in December. He’s scored 15 league goals and leads the French league with 15 assists. Messi hasn’t commented publicly about the suspension on his social media accounts.  

Gunmen left a threatening message Thursday for Argentine soccer superstar Lionel Messi and opened fire at a supermarket owned by his in-laws in Argentina’s third-largest city, police said. Nobody was injured in the early morning attack, and it was unclear why assailants would target Messi or the Unico supermarket in Rosario, owned by the family of his wife, Antonella Roccuzzo. The city’s mayor, Pablo Javkin, lashed out at federal authorities over what he called their failure to curb a surge in drug-related violence in Rosario, located about 190 miles ( 300 kilometers) northwest of the capital of Buenos Aires. Police said two men on a motorcycle fired at least a dozen shots into an Unico branch in the early hours, and left a message on a piece of carboard that read, “Messi, we’re waiting for you. Javkin is also a drug trafficker, so he won’t take care of you.” Read: Lionel Messi Won The Best FIFA Men's Player Prize For 2022, Records Messi, captain of the national team that won last year’s World Cup for Argentina for the first time in 36 years, has not commented. Messi currently plays for Paris Saint-Germain and spends much of his time overseas, though he often visits Rosario where he has a home in the suburb of Funes. Javkin, a center-left politician in opposition to the ruling Peronist coalition, appeared to throw suspicion of complicity for the attack on both criminal gangs and federal security officials. “I doubt everyone, even those who are supposed to protect us,” Javkin said in an interview with a local radio station. He said the supermarket was in a section of Rosario that has seen frequent crimes, that he has raised the issue in recent meetings with federal and provincial official law enforcement officials, and that no action has been taken. “Where are the ones who need to take care of us?” Javkin said. “It’s clear that those who have the weapons and have the possibility of investigating the criminals aren’t doing it, and it’s very easy for any gang to carry out something like this.”  

Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen today (January 30, 2023) said his Argentine counterpart Santiago Andrés Cafiero will be in Dhaka on a two-day official visit in February – as the two sides want to strengthen ties in the coming days. “I have invited him. He (Argentine foreign minister) will come. I told him to bring Lionel Messi with him,” Momen told reporters at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, adding that it will be a plus for Bangladesh if Argentina opens a mission in Bangladesh. Momen said Argentina “in principle agreed” to open its mission or consulate in Dhaka and the government of Bangladesh also has a plan to open a mission in Argentina. Bangladesh has already opened a mission in Brazil. “We hope we will open a Bangladesh mission in Argentina in future,” he said, adding that Bangladesh considers three things – size of Bangladeshi community there, importance of the host country, and flow of remittance into Bangladesh – before opening any mission abroad. Also read: Ambassador Lee visits South Korea-supported innovative ICT-integrated pilot classroom in Dhaka Momen said Argentina is a good friend of Bangladesh and always remains supportive. “We have a very good relationship with Argentina.” “I believe, hearts of the people of Bangladesh and Argentina are united by football, despite our geographical distance,” Momen said in a recent letter to the Argentine foreign minister. He reiterated Bangladesh’s commitment to deepen the existing relations and friendship between the two countries. “I look forward to working closely to consolidate our mutual priorities and opening of missions in each other’s capital in the coming days,” he said. Read More World champions Argentina likely to visit Dhaka in next June Homes and streets across Argentina and Bangladesh became places of celebration after an epic World Cup final in which the former’s national team beat France. It was the country’s third World Cup title.

Argentina’s dramatic victory over France in penalty kicks in the World Cup final was the second most-watched soccer match of any kind in the United States. The early numbers from Nielsen, Fox and Telemundo show Sunday’s match had an English- and Spanish-language combined audience of 25,783,000. That trails the 26.7 million that tuned in to the 2015 Women’s World Cup final, when the U.S. beat Japan 5-2 in a match that aired in prime time for most of the United States because the tournament was held in Canada. Fox’s numbers from Sunday should increase when the “match-only” rating is released later Tuesday. The 16,783,000 average released by Fox and Nielsen includes some pre- and post-match coverage. The high viewership comes as the U.S., Canada and Mexico are set to host the 2026 World Cup. Read more: Millions jam Buenos Aires streets to celebrate World Cup win Argentina’s first World Cup title since 1986 was Fox’s most-watched match of the tournament, surpassing the 15,491,000 that watched the Americans 0-0 draw with England during group-stage play on Nov. 25. Sunday’s combined audience was a 31% increase over the 2018 final, which averaged 17.83 million on Fox and Telemundo. Fox’s audience increased 25.5% from four years ago, when France defeated Croatia in the final. Telemundo’s total audience of 9 million is a 65% jump from 2018. Nearly one-third — 2.96 million — streamed Sunday’s match on Peacock and Telemundo’s digital services, which made it the most-streamed World Cup match in U.S. history, regardless of language. By comparison, the 6.04 million who watched on Telemundo was triple the 1.9 million that watched the network’s broadcast of Super Bowl 57 earlier this year. Read more: Argentines erupt in joy after epic World Cup final While the Super Bowl continues to lead championship viewing — this year’s game had a combined audience of 112.3 million — the World Cup final did outdraw other sports. Game 5 of the World Series between the Philadelphia Phillies and Houston Astros averaged 12.77 million on Fox, and was the most-viewed game of the six-game series. The series-clinching games of the NBA Finals and NHL’s Stanley Cup finals averaged 13.99 million and 5.8 million, respectively, on ABC.

Have you ever imagined a goal feast, intense battles, thrilling 120 minutes, repeated twists and turns, and nerve-racking tiebreakers at the end of the FIFA World Cup 2022 final? Lionel Scaloni’s Argentina won the title with incredible success. Lionel Messi got the adorable golden trophy.  This is called destiny, Lionel Messi will lift the World Cup, but not in the easiest way. Countless dramas with a final test of nerve, perhaps the most incredible drama in the history of the World Cup final has ended with Messi lifting the trophy. Finally, Argentina’s 36-year wait for the world cup has ended. Who knows, maybe this tournament will end the debate about the great footballer of all time. Many people did not want to accept Messi as the best because he did not win the elusive World Cup trophy, and finally, he won that one too. Journey of Champion Argentina in the FIFA World Cup 2022 After many regrets, disappointments, and pains, Lionel Messi and his Argentina finally got hold of the World Cup. Millions of football fans around the world are sure to be very proud and happy. However, the journey was not very smooth, and it was a hell of a ride for Argentina. The 36 trophyless years are finished now. Let’s recap Argentina’s World Cup-winning journey. Dramatic Final After being ahead with two goals until 80 minutes, Argentina could not win in the first 90 minutes. An extra 30 minutes was not enough to bring out the result. Despite Lionel Messi’s double goal, Argentina failed to keep the lead. Kylian Mbappe’s hat trick brought France back into the game. In the end, a tiebreaker decided the outcome. After defeating the French, Messi finally kissed the trophy for new world champion Argentina. Albiceleste has become the world champion for the third time. Read More: FIFA mostly wins big but loses some trust at Qatar World Cup Mbappe equalized with two goals in 97 seconds after Argentina was ahead for 80 minutes in Sunday’s final at Lusail Stadium. Again Mbappe drew level 3-3 with a penalty after Messi’s second goal in extra time as Argentina went ahead again. Then Diego Maradona’s successors beat France by 4-2 goals in the tiebreaker. In the tiebreaker, both teams scored their first shot. After that, goalkeeper Martinez became a wall, blocking Kingsley Coman’s shot. Ahelia Tchouameni hit their third shot wide. Finally, Argentina erupted in joy when Gonzalo Montiel hit the target in Argentina’s fourth shot. And blue-white waves rise in Lusail stadium. The statistics also show how exciting the match was. At the same time, the image of the Argentine power and the turning of the French. Argentina was a little ahead in possession of the ball and a lot in attack. They took 20 shots on goal and 10 on target. France was half in these two places; Five targets out of 10 shots. Further, fouls have also happened; Argentina fouled 26, and France 19. Read More: Benzema posts tweet indicating international retirement

Nobel laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus congratulated Argentina on their World Cup triumph Sunday. "Vamos Argentina! Congratulations to Argentina – Lionel Messi and the whole team for winning the World Cup 2022!" Yunus said in a media statement Monday. "An exhilarating final match with Lionel Messi, one of the greatest of all time, getting the honour he deserves. Kudos to France and another legend in the making Kylian Mbappé !" he added. "We always believe in the power of sports to lift communities up and inspire the next generation to realise their true potential," Yunus said. Argentina's "superfans" in Bangladesh are over the moon now as Messi scored two goals and converted in the shootout as the South American side beat France 4-2 on penalties to claim a third World Cup title despite Mbappé scoring the first hattrick in a final in 56 years.

Lionel Messi's once-in-a-generation career is complete. The Argentina superstar is finally a World Cup champion. Messi scored two goals and then another in a shootout as Argentina beat France 4-2 on penalties Sunday to claim a third World Cup title despite Kylian Mbappé scoring the first hattrick in a final in 56 years. Now there's no debate. Messi is definitively in the pantheon of football's greatest-ever players, alongside Pelé – a record three-time World Cup champion from Brazil – and Diego Maradona, the late Argentina great with whom Messi was so often compared. Messi achieved what Maradona did in 1986 and dominated a World Cup for Argentina. The torch will one day pass to Mbappé, whose late goals lit up one of the most dramatic finals in the tournament's 92-year history and made him the first scorer of a hattrick in a final since 1966, but not just yet. "Let's go, Argentina!" Messi roared into a microphone on the field in the post-match celebrations. Messi put Argentina ahead from the penalty spot and played a part in Angel Di Maria's goal that made it 2-0 after 36 minutes.

Argentina have a 2-0 lead against France in the World Cup final after goals by Lionel Messi and Angel Di Maria. Messi scored on a 23rd-minute penalty kick after a foul on Di Maria. Thirteen minutes later Di Maria finished off a flowing team move involving a deft flick from Messi. It was Messi's 12th World Cup goal. Messi is making a record 26th appearance at the World Cup, breaking a tie with Germany great Lothar Matthäus. Messi's matches have been spread over five World Cups, starting in 2006. Like France, Argentina are seeking a third World Cup title — after 1978 and 1986 — to move into outright fourth place in the all-time list. It would end a 36-year wait for football's biggest prize, since Maradona's string of virtuoso performances in Mexico in 1986. That made Maradona forever a hero in Argentina and an icon around the football world. Messi now appears to be at that level. Messi has evoked comparisons with Maradona in the way he has pushed Argentina to the final, scoring six goals, thrilling his team's legion of fans, who have poured into Qatar throughout the World Cup in numbers only really matched by those from Morocco. Read more: World Cup final: Di Maria makes it 2-0 for Argentina against France