Inter Miami’s Leagues Cup match against Necaxa got off to a strange and concerning start on Saturday. In the first 17 minutes, they opened the scoring, received a red card, and suffered a brutal injury blow. Superstar forward Lionel Messi was forced to leave the game in the 11th minute.
He appeared to be injured after this tackle from behind. One of Necaxa’s players clipped the back of his leg, and he went down in pain shortly after. It was an innocent enough play with unintended consequences.
Federico Redondo replaced Messi on the pitch, and Inter Miami scored shortly after. Five minutes after the goal, center back Maximilian Falcon received a straight red card, and Necaxa equalized soon after. The game is tied at one goal apiece going into halftime.
It’s unclear how severe Messi’s injury at this time. With his importance to the club, the hope is that his removal was out of an abundance of caution. We will update you as soon as his status is clarified.
