Miami, USA – Inter Miami, the American team, was eliminated from the League Cup competition in the first round, after losing to Leon of Mexico 3-2, early Thursday morning, in a match that witnessed the return of Argentine star Lionel Messi to the field.
The match marked Messi’s first appearance for Inter Miami since the death of his father, Jorge, last week, after a battle with illness at the age of 68.
Messi had returned to the United States from Argentina, after participating in his father’s farewell ceremony, before starting the match against Lyon on the bench.
The coach brought Messi on during the second half, amid a warm welcome from Inter Miami fans at the “No Stadium”, as the team’s captain returned to action after missing the previous match against Monterrey.
Inter Miami took the lead before Lyon turned the tables.
Inter Miami opened the scoring in the 42nd minute through Daniel Painter, and the team finished the first half with a 1-0 lead.
At the start of the second half, Lyon managed to equalize through Daniel Arcela in the 50th minute, before Inter Miami quickly regained their lead just three minutes later, through Yannick Praet.
The Mexican team did not give up, as Juan Dominguez succeeded in scoring the second equalizer in the 61st minute, bringing the match back to square one.
In the 83rd minute, Arcela made his mark again, scoring Lyon’s third goal and his second personally, leading his team to victory and securing qualification for the next round.
With this victory, Lyon became the first team to qualify for the quarter-finals of the current edition of the League Cup, while Inter Miami’s participation ended early, despite Messi’s return to the team after a short absence due to the death of his father.
