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Lionel Messi shrugged off sub-zero temperatures to score the only goal as Inter Miami defeated Sporting Kansas City 1-0 in their weather-delayed CONCACAF Champions Cup first-leg clash.
CONCACAF Champions Cup: Lionel Messi helped Inter Miami beat Sporting Kansas City (AP)
Lionel Messi scored from the right side of the box in the 56th minute to lift Inter Miami past Sporting Kansas City 1-0 on a bitterly cold Wednesday night in the first leg of the CONCACAF Champions Cup’s first round.
Both teams struggled to find consistency on the hard, slick field for much of the night in front of 15,178 bundled-up fans at Children’s Mercy Park.
Messi struck in the 56th minute at Children’s Mercy Park, showing superb individual skill before rifling a low angled shot past Sporting goalkeeper John Pulskamp.
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Sporting KC stayed on the front foot the rest of the game in an attempt to tie the match, but Oscar Ustari stopped both of the team’s second-half shots on goal. The best chance came when Dániel Sallói got open behind the Miami defense, but his shot attempt was right at Ustari.
Erik Thommy’s attempt to tie it in the 78th minute hit off the left post, but it wouldn’t have counted as Sallói was ruled offside.
Inter Miami nearly took an early lead, but Luis Suarez’s shot from just inside the box went wide. Inter Miami had another opportunity in the 33rd minute, but Tadeo Allende’s shot, coming off a lob from Messi, was wide.
Sporting KC missed a chance to grab the lead off a corner kick in the 36th minute, but Dany Rosero’s header was left of the target.
Miami held a slight edge in the first-half stats, taking seven shots compared to Sporting KC’s three. Miami had a 60% advantage in possession.
The victory gives Inter a precious away goal as they attempt to secure their passage into the last 16 in next Tuesday’s second leg in Florida.
Wednesday’s game in Kansas City had been postponed by 24 hours after an arctic storm dumped several inches of snow across the region while sending temperatures plummeting to near-record lows.
Despite the rescheduling there was no let-up from the freezing conditions, with the temperature at kick-off plunging to minus 17 degrees Celsius (one degree Fahrenheit).
Argentine superstar Messi and his Inter team-mates took to the field wearing gloves and neck warmers, with several players on both teams wearing full-length leggings to combat the cold.
Kansas City finished near the foot of Major League Soccer’s Western Conference last season, winning just eight of their 34 regular-season games — in stark contrast to Miami, who topped the Eastern Conference with a record 74 points after winning 22 games.
The clubs play the second leg Tuesday in Miami.
(With inputs from Agencies)
