Thanks to Luis Suarez, Inter Miami have put themselves in a good position in the first leg of the round of 16 of the CONCACAF Champions Cup. Lionel Messi also scored in Nashville – and caused an anxious moment.
Inter Miami remained unbeaten in the fourth competitive game of the new season, but again it was close. In the first leg of the round of 16 of the CONCACAF Champions Cup, the equivalent of the Champions League for clubs from North and Central America and the Caribbean, Luis Suarez saved Inter at Nashville SC from a 2-2 draw in the fifth minute of stoppage time.
Winger Jacob Shuffelburg initially put Nashville ahead 2-0: The 24-year-old Canadian hit under the crossbar in the fourth minute after the visitors lost the ball and slammed the ball into the right corner of the goal less than a minute after half-time.
But Inter, who qualified for the CONCACAF Champions Cup in the summer as League Cup winners in an exciting final against Nashville (10:9 on penalties), quickly came back. Messi, who had previously missed a goal several times, finally overcame veteran goalkeeper Joe Willis (35) six minutes after the score was 2-0 with a left-footed shot near the edge of the penalty area.
Later, the world champion, who was repeatedly honored with chants in the stadium, had to be treated for longer after an unintentional but nasty kick to the calf, but was able to continue playing after copious amounts of ice spray. After Nashville was denied the supposed 3-1 because of a very thin offside position via VAR, two former teammates from FC Barcelona equalized: Suarez headed in a cross from Sergio Busquets.
Gressel as right-back – Mukhtar extended until 2026
At Inter, Julian Gressel was again in the starting line-up – this time not in midfield, but as a right-back – and at Nashville, Hany Mukhtar. Before the game, the former Hertha player, the franchise’s record goalscorer and assist provider, had extended his contract until 2026 with an option for another season.
The second leg of the fight for the quarter-finals will take place in Miami on the night of Wednesday to Thursday (1:15 a.m. CET). The winner of the CONCACAF Champions Cup – like FC Bayern and Borussia Dortmund, among others – can take part in the 2025 Club World Cup.