Inter Miami lost Messi to injury from the start, but weathered the storm and beat Gago's Necaxa on penalties in the Leagues Cup.

Inter Miami ended a night that looked very adverse in the 2025 Leagues Cup with a smile. The 'Garzas' defeated Necaxa , led by Fernando Gago , on penalties and maintain their goal of advancing to the quarterfinals of this peculiar tournament that mixes the MLS and Liga MX , of which they were already champions in 2023.

Javier Mascherano 's team overcame a difficult start at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, with Lionel Messi 's alarming muscle injury and the unusual expulsion of Uruguayan Maximiliano Falcón , forcing him to play ten against eleven for 43 minutes.

It was 2-2 in the 90s. And Rodrigo De Paul , who had become Inter Miami's football leader by force, had a lot to do with it, given that he assisted Venezuelan Telasco Segovia for the 1-0 partial and later Jordi Alba for the tie in stoppage time that led to the penalty shootout.

In the middle, Tomás Badaloni put his signature on the tie for Necaxa and Ricardo Monreal , after a great assist from the former River player Agustín Palavecino , had given the advantage to the Aztecs, who also finished with 10 due to the red card that Cristian Calderón saw and who had the Argentines Ezequiel Unsain and Tomás Jacob on the field.

AWESOME GOAL by Telasco Segovia 🇻🇪. @InterMiamiCF scores the first goal of the match against @ClubNecaxa in #LeaguesCup25 .

🙌 De Paul's header assist and Segovia makes a tremendous finish. pic.twitter.com/RAIF3RRSHn

— MLS Español (@MLSes) August 2, 2025

Penalty shootout time arrived, and the home side was relentless, with Rocco Ríos Novo saving Badaloni's shot to make it 5-4. However, ahead of Wednesday's match against Pumas , also from Mexico, the main concern is Messi's health.

Early in the match, after exchanging a hug with Gago and when nothing had happened yet, the world champion captain was the protagonist of a situation he had rarely experienced in his prodigious career.

No one knows Messi's physique better than Messi himself. That's why it caught everyone's attention when the Rosario native hit the ground hard when he fell in the Necaxa penalty area after a tackle that fell short. Just seven minutes into the game, the Rosario native felt a twinge in the hamstring area of his right leg.

Tomás BadaGOL! 🤯⚽️ @ClubNecaxa striker equalizes the game with his third goal in this #LeaguesCup2025 #LeaguesCup2025 pic.twitter.com/gkXdzCTk3q

— Leagues Cup (@LeaguesCup) August 2, 2025

The move was sudden and unfortunate. Leo had already been seen to be a bit upset about the state of Inter Miami's pitch, which was covered in sand due to the string of matches and the tropical, rainy climate that dominates the coastal city.

But he didn't hesitate when De Paul quickly took a free kick in the middle of the field: he received it lying on his right and headed toward Unsaín's goal. Messi was followed by four Mexicans from Gago's squad, and he fell as he entered the box. That's when he felt the pinch and slammed his right hand against the turf in a clear sign of annoyance.

YES! ⚡️⚽️ Ricardo Monreal takes the lead for @ClubNecaxa after a nice assist from Palavecino #LeaguesCup2025 pic.twitter.com/eGdks4vFHx

— Leagues Cup (@LeaguesCup) August 3, 2025

Leo, however, stood up and walked to the home bench. There, Javier Mascherano asked to be substituted, and he threw himself to the ground. A terrible sign. The home team's medics came in to massage the area, although Messi already knew he wouldn't be continuing.

That's why he went straight to the locker room after giving up his place to Federico Redondo , after handing the captain's armband to Sergio Busquets . Now we'll have to wait for the medical report and tests. "We won't know the extent of the injury until tomorrow. Surely there's something wrong with it, maybe it's not something that serious because it wasn't sore," Mascherano said.

His hamstrings have been a constant problem for Messi in recent years. Gerardo Martino , his former coach at Las Garzas , once spoke of an old scar that never heals. Every now and then, the pain reappears and bothers him because it prevents him from training and playing with ease.

GOOOAL header by Jordi Alba 🇪🇸.

Rodrigo De Paul takes a direct shot at the unforgiving Spaniard, who scores to tie @InterMiamiCF in the #LeaguesCup2025 . pic.twitter.com/k6cU49eDqo

— MLS Español (@MLSes) August 3, 2025

The news of Messi's injury also has repercussions for the Argentine national team , which will face its final double-header of the qualifying rounds in 33 days, against Venezuela (at home) and Ecuador (in Guayaquil). In 2025, he missed the March matches against Uruguay and Brazil , and in June he came on in the second half of the win against Chile in Santiago and left at the end of the match before the equalizer against Colombia at the Monumental Stadium.