Tata Martino explains what he liked most about Lionel Messi's performance after 3-3 St. Louis City draw
Inter Miami manager Gerardo "Tata" Martino has explained what he enjoyed the most about Lionel Messi's performance in their 3-3 draw against St. Louis City on June 1. Neither side could find the winning goal at Fort Lauderdale, but Messi showcased his quality in the MLS encounter.
The Herons suffered a 3-1 defeat in their previous fixture against Atlanta United, even with Messi playing. With the Argentine legend fit and in the starting lineup, they were widely expected to take the game to St Louis, but the opposite seemed to happen more often than not.
The visitors took the lead thrice, starting with a Chris Durkin strike in the 15th minute. Lionel Messi scored the equalizer in the 25th minute, but Indiana Vassilev put St. Louis City ahead again with 41 minutes on the clock. Luis Suarez was on hand to equalize yet again on the cusp of half time to see them enter the break with the scoreline at 2-2.
Suarez put the ball in his own net in the 68th minute to hand St. Louis the lead, but Miami came back through Jordi Alba in the 85th minute, as both teams shared the spoils. Messi, in particular, was a joy to behold as he created magical moments, which impressed Tata Martino. The head coach said after the game (via Inter Miami News):
“He along with Jordi were practicably responsible for participating in all of our attacks in today’s game. He was involved in our finishing, he was involved in our chance creation, and he insisted during the entire 90 minutes, even in the final moments.”
St. Louis City manager questions Lionel Messi's ball retention after 3-3 draw against Inter Miami
St. Louis City manager Bradley Carnell stated that he had never seen Messi lose the ball as often as their recent fixture. He was also impressed with how his side managed to limit the time the Argentine received on the ball.
After the game, Carnell said (via Inter Miami News):
“I’m not too sure I’ve seen a game where Messi lost the ball so many times in transition, and we were coming from the front, the back, the side, which was amazing to watch. That’s a player with the highest pedigree, so we prove we can afford at this stage. I think everyone’s a little bit upset right now.”
Lionel Messi will now depart for the Copa America this summer, which means Inter Miami will have to make do without the legendary playmaker.