Noticias

Washington, Aug 16 (Ians) Lionel Messi continued his prolific scoring form with a superb first-half strike as Inter Miami reached the Leagues Cup final with a 4-1 away win over Philadelphia Union.

Venezuelan striker Josef Martinez gave the hosts the lead in the third minute at Subaru Park when he ran onto Sergii Kryvtsov’s pass and slotted a cool finish past goalkeeper Andre Blake, reports Xinhua.

Martinez then turned provider as he found Messi in space, allowing the Argentine World Cup winner to stream forward before rifling a low 30-yard drive into the far corner.

Messi’s former Barcelona teammate Jordi Alba made it 3-0 on the stroke of halftime when he pounced on Robert Taylor’s through ball and dribbled into the area before finishing with a lofted shot over the lunging Blake.

Alejandro Bedoya reduced the deficit by firing home from close range after goalkeeper Drake Callender failed to deal with a corner.

Washington, Aug 12 (Ians) World Cup winner Lionel Messi scored his eighth goal in five matches with Inter Miami as the Florida outfit reached the Leagues Cup semifinals with a 4-0 home win over Charlotte.

Josef Martinez put the hosts ahead with a penalty and Finland international winger Robert Taylor doubled the advantage by sweeping home a first-time effort after Deandre Yedlin’s cross on Friday night.

Adilson Malanda gifted Inter Miami their third goal when he turned the ball into his own net before Argentina captain Messi latched onto Leonardo Campana’s cross to side-foot home from the edge of the six-yard box four minutes from time, Xinhua reported.

The result at Drv Pnl stadium in Fort Lauderdale means Inter Miami will meet Philadelphia away on Tuesday for a place in the final.

In other quarterfinal fixtures on Friday, Nashville won 5-0 at home to Minnesota, Philadelphia edged to a...