Messi Injured Early in Inter Miami’s Leagues Cup Win Over Necaxa

Khabor Wala Desk

Published: 3rd August 2025, 5:45 PM

Messi Injured Early in Inter Miami’s Leagues Cup Win Over Necaxa

Photo: Collected

Lionel Messi exited the pitch with an apparent injury in just the 11th minute of Inter Miami’s Leagues Cup match against Mexico’s Necaxa, held on Saturday at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale. Despite his early departure, Inter Miami triumphed 5-4 on penalties following a dramatic 2-2 draw.

Incident Summary

Player	Event	Time	Details
Lionel Messi	Substituted due to injury	11th minute	Seemed to be treating upper right leg/groin before exiting the match
Messi’s Replacement	Federico Redondo	11th minute	Entered after Messi was subbed off

Messi, 38, appeared to tweak his upper right leg or groin while dribbling into Necaxa’s defence, colliding with defender Alexis Peña. He later sat down near midfield, laid briefly on his back, and was attended to by trainers before walking off unassisted.

Match Summary: Inter Miami vs Necaxa

Statistic	Inter Miami	Necaxa
Final Score	2	2
Penalty Shootout	5	4
Red Cards	1 (Maximiliano Falcón)	1 (Cristian Calderón)
Possession	Not specified	Not specified
Key Goals	Segovia (12’), Alba (90+2’)	Badaloni (33’), Monreal (81’)

Penalty Shootout Breakdown

Penalty Takers for Miami	Result
Rodrigo De Paul	✅ Scored
Ben Cremaschi	✅ Scored
Jordi Alba	✅ Scored
Federico Redondo	✅ Scored
Luis Suárez	✅ Scored (Decider)
Penalty Taker for Necaxa	Result
Tomás Badaloni	❌ Missed (Decisive)

Goal Timeline

Minute	Scorer	Team	Event
12’	Telasco Segovia	Inter Miami	Opened scoring
17’	Red Card: Falcón	Inter Miami	Sent off for serious foul
33’	Tomás Badaloni	Necaxa	Equaliser
60’	Red Card: Calderón	Necaxa	Dismissed after second bookable offence
81’	Ricardo Monreal	Necaxa	Gave Necaxa 2-1 lead
90+2’	Jordi Alba	Inter Miami	Equalised in stoppage time

Messi’s Recent Form & Injury Concerns

Current Season MLS Stats:
- Goals: 18
- Assists: 9
- Appearances: 18
Recent Form in Leagues Cup:
- Assisted both goals in 2-1 win over Atlas on Wednesday.
Injury History:
- Struggled with thigh strain during March’s World Cup qualifiers.

Group Stage Progress

Upcoming Fixture:
- Inter Miami vs Pumas – Wednesday (Final Group Stage Match)
Historical Note:
- Messi led Inter Miami to win the inaugural Leagues Cup title in 2023, shortly after joining the MLS side.

Messi’s injury will be closely monitored by fans and club officials alike, as Inter Miami prepare for their final group stage match and aim to defend their Leagues Cup crown.