Luis Suárez struck twice from the penalty spot as Inter Miami edged Mexico’s Tigres UANL 2-1 in the Leagues Cup quarterfinals on Wednesday, overcoming the absence of captain Lionel Messi.
Messi, who starred in Miami’s win over LA Galaxy last week, sat out after reporting discomfort in training. “We all go off what Messi is feeling. Today, Javier (Mascherano) spoke with him and he wasn’t feeling the best. We preferred not to risk him,” assistant coach Javier Morales explained.
Suárez opened the scoring after Jordi Alba’s cross struck Javier Aquino’s arm, but Ángel Correa pulled Tigres level with a sharp solo finish. Another Aquino handball in the box gifted Miami a second penalty, which Suárez calmly dispatched for the winner.
Tigres nearly forced extra time when Edgar López’s header rattled both posts late on.
Drama also unfolded on the touchline, with Miami assistant Javier Mascherano shown a red card before the second half for dissent. Broadcast cameras later caught him relaying instructions via phone — an act prohibited by tournament rules. “I didn’t see what was going on… a lot happened on the bench,” Morales said when pressed.
Miami’s night was further clouded by Jordi Alba’s second-half withdrawal after a knee knock. “We don’t have the medical report yet, but it looked like a hit on the knee,” Morales added.
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