"No Messi, no goals" "He's no Ronaldo" - Twitter explodes as Inter Miami suffer 2-1 defeat to Houston Dynamo in Lionel Messi's absence
Fans have reacted on X (formerly Twitter) to Inter Miami's 2-1 defeat to Houston Dynamo in the US Open Cup final in Lionel Messi's absence on Wednesday, September 27.
Gerardo Martino's side dominated possession in the clash at the DRV PNK Stadium (59%) but Houston Dynamo had more attempts on goal (19-12). The visitors struck in the 24th minute via Griffin Dorsey before Amine Bassi doubled their lead from the penalty spot in the 33rd minute.
Josef Martinez got one back for Inter Miami in the second minute of stoppage time but it was too late by then as Houston Dynamo lifted the US Open Cup.
Lionel Messi missed the important clash due to injury, which turned out to be a big blow for the Herons. The Argentine forward had provided two assists in their US Open Cup semi-final clash against FC Cincinnati, helping them win on penalties.
In their last five games across competitions, Inter Miami have won just twice, losing twice and drawing once. Lionel Messi played a part in just one of those games - 37 minutes in a 4-0 win over Toronto FC.
His absence was certainly felt by the team and fans reacted to the same on X, as one wrote:
"No Messi no goals"
Another tweeted:
"They wouldn't have won even if he was playing. He's no Ronaldo."
Here are some more reactions from fans after Inter Miami's loss in the US Open Cup final:
Lionel Messi's numbers for Inter Miami so far
The Argentine forward left Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) as a free agent in the summer to join Inter Miami.
Lionel Messi left European football as the top scorer in Europe's top five leagues, with 496 goals in 578 league games for PSG and Barcelona. He has continued his goalscoring prowess with the Herons as well.
He scored a stoppage-time winner in his debut for the Herons in the Leagues Cup against Cruz Azul. The seven-time Ballon d'Or winner went on to score 10 goals in seven games, helping his side win the competition, leading to their first-ever trophy.
He provided two assists in the US Open Cup semi-final against FC Cincinnati before racking up one goal and two assists in four MLS games.
Lionel Messi has missed the last few games due to an injury he picked up on international duty with Argentina. With the Herons languishing in 14th place in the Eastern Conference table, they will hope their captain is back soon.