There’s little anyone can do to stop Lionel Messi, but we did find out on Saturday night that there’s something that can slow him down.
After a lengthy weather delay pushed kickoff back, Messi and Inter Miami were largely silenced by D.C. United for 90 minutes. Unfortunately for D.C., they didn’t account for stoppage time, as Leonardo Campana’s last-gasp goal stole a 1-0 win for the Herons.
It was a rain-soaked slog from the beginning and, despite having nearly all of the ball, Miami weren’t really able to make anything of it. Messi was kept uncharacteristically quiet throughout by a resolute D.C. United defense. So was Luis Suarez, who couldn’t muster a shot on the day.
But up stepped Campana off the bench with minutes to play.
His late strike thundered off the crossbar, seemingly a response to the lightning that delayed the game in the first place. The Herons will feel like they stole one, but it was certainly earned given the rhythm of play.
Messi and Miami can be slowed down, but stopped? Not quite. Even when the Argentine isn’t at his best, the club has the pieces around him to win anyway. On Saturday, Campana was that piece as Miami picked up three more massive points.
GOAL rates Inter Miami’s players from Chase Stadium…
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Goalkeeper & Defense
Drake Callender (6/10):
Wasn’t called upon much with Miami dominating the ball, but made a big late save only to see it called back for offside anyway.
Jordi Alba (7/10):
Back in the XI and back to his usual self. Bombed up and down the left side as he always does, although he wasn’t quite able to create the moment Miami was looking for for much of the match.
Nicolas Freire (8/10):
Was very, very good before a second-half injury forced him off. Had the ball at his feet a ton and he always did well with it, helping Miami maintain possession throughout.
Tomas Aviles (7/10):
Similar type of performance to Freire, but not quite the same volume. Had the ball so, so much and he did well in the moments Miami didn’t have it.
Marcelo Weigandt (7/10):
Did well in possession, completing nearly all of his passes. Not many were particularly dangerous and his crosses weren’t quite accurate.
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Midfield
Benjamin Cremaschi (5/10):
Had an incredible one-on-one chance but couldn’t make the most of it. Didn’t get a chance to make up for it, either, before being taken out early in the second half.
Sergio Busquets (8/10):
Calm, steady, composed… it’s Busquets, what else did you expect? Provided the assist on the winner to cap off another great effort.
Julian Gressel (6/10):
Not quite dangerous enough. He’s in this team because of how creative he can be on his day, but we just didn’t quite see those moments on Saturday.
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Attack
Matias Rojas (6/10):
Had one shot, but it was way off target. Dropped into midfield in the second half, but his level of influence didn’t change too much.
Luis Suarez (5/10):
His game can be broken down into one stat: zero shots. Not what you want from one of the game’s all-time great finishes, is it?
Lionel Messi (6/10):
Might have been his quietest game in an Inter Miami shirt. D.C. United handled him well, swarming him just enough to prevent him from taking over the game.
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Subs & Manager
Robert Taylor (6/10):
Couldn’t really change anything in the second half as he had less than a dozen touches.
Serhiy Kryvtsov (6/10):
Did what he had to do after being tossed in for an injured Freire.
David Ruiz (N/A):
Came on to try and change the game late but didn’t get many chances to do so.
Leo Campana (9/10):
Talk about an impact! Given his chance late, Campana seized it with a fantastic strike to seal the win.
Tata Martino (6/10):
Sometimes, it just doesn’t come off. It was one of those nights for Saturday until Campana’s blink-and-you’ll-miss-it strike. Martino pulled the right string at the right time, helping his side to the win.
