By Felipe Cardenas and Alexander Abnos
Mar 8, 2024
A stoppage time goal by Luis Suarez earned Inter Miami a 2-2 draw at Nashville SC in the first leg of the sides’ CONCACAF Champions Cup Round of 16 matchup.
The match featured plenty of great goals, but was notable also for an errant play by Nashville defende Lukas MacNaughton that could have caused serious injury to Lionel Messi (who scored Miami’s other goal). It also an eye-opening performance from one of Nashville’s more unsung stars, and a debut for newly-acquired Inter Miami midfielder Federico Redondo.
The draw keeps Miami’s hopes of capturing the CONCACAF Champions Cup alive – winning that competition this year would mean entry into next year’s Club World Cup, due to be held in the United States using an expanded format.
Here are three takeaways from the match.
Messi scores, narrowly avoids injury
Messi had a quiet first half. He was surprisingly inaccurate with his passes and just a step off the pace. The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner struggled in the first 45 minutes, but his goal in the 52nd minute cut Nashville’s lead to 2-1 and gave Messi and his teammates new life.
In the 77th minute, though, things nearly went terribly wrong, as Nashville defender Lukas MacNaughton caught Messi’s left leg with his studs after clearing the ball. The collision looked incredibly dangerous for Messi, who somehow avoided a serious injury.
Messi was shaken up after this play, but remained in the match. pic.twitter.com/NxeQMikbVU
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) March 8, 2024
As he walked to the sideline after receiving treatment on the field, it was clear that Messi couldn’t believe that MacNaughton wasn’t cautioned by the referee. Cameras caught Messi telling Nashville right fullback Shaq Moore that MacNaughton had gone “studs up” on him.
Inter Miami manager Tata Martino said after the match that Messi was fine.
Messi was relatively quiet for most of the game after that point, but played the full 90 minutes plus stoppage time, meaning he was on the field to celebrate Suarez’s equalizer.
LUIS SUÁREZ! 🤯
🟡 Nashville 2-2 Inter Miami 🦩 pic.twitter.com/0jkEmqYvB4
— Concacaf Champions Cup (@TheChampions) March 8, 2024
Federico Redondo debuts
One thing became clear on Thursday night: Federico Redondo will change the way Inter Miami plays. The 21-year-old Argentine central midfielder made his debut with the MLS side and made an immediate impact tactically as a box-to-box, do-everything No. 8. He was a shot in the arm for an aging Miami team.
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Out of possession, the tireless Redondo hovered around Nashville SC’s holding midfielder Anibal Godoy, disrupting Nashville’s ball circulation. Redondo also pressed Nashville’s backline and hunted the ball with vigor with intelligent defensive positioning.
In possession, Redondo was clean on the ball, acting as a solid partner for Sergio Busquets in midfield. Redondo completed 65 of 75 passes from 87 touches.
“Fede was meticulous with the ball and he gave us intensity in midfield,” Martino told reporters. “He played a correct match.”
Redondo was lucky to stay on the field, however, after his elbow to Jacob Shaffleburg’s neck when unpunished by the referee.
Pretty nasty business tbh pic.twitter.com/K4btcTJX0a
— Charles Boehm (@cboehm) March 8, 2024
Jacob Shaffelburg, superstar
All eyes may have been on Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, Sergio Busquets, or Nashville star Hany Mukhtar to start the game, but it was 24-year old Nashville winger Shaffelburg that stole the show in the opening half.
The speedy Canadian’s impact was felt early, as he found space in the box in front of a disorganized Miami backline and finished to give Nashville an early lead.
His second, though, was a stunner arriving just a minute after halftime.
It’s Jacob Shaffelburg who breaks the deadlock for Nashville! 🚀
🟡 Nashville 1-0 Inter Miami 🦩 pic.twitter.com/ezRDaK2UwH
— Concacaf Champions Cup (@TheChampions) March 8, 2024
Shaffelburg was a menace throughout his time on the field aside from the goals, unbalancing Miami defenders with his direct runs. Some of those defenders elected to make their presence known, including Redondo’s elbow and…whatever this was from Tomas Aviles:
An outbreak of #CCCFever has been reported in Nashville: pic.twitter.com/NcYJAM3k9J
— Jonathan Tannenwald (@thegoalkeeper) March 8, 2024
What’s next
The result sets up an appetizing second leg next week, as Miami hosts Nashville at Chase Stadium on Wednesday at 8:15 p.m. ET.
Messi and Suarez’s goals could prove to be crucial, given the CONCACAF Champions League uses away goals as an aggregate score tiebreaker.
GO DEEPERWho is Inter Miami's new signing Federico Redondo?(Photo: Donald Page/Getty Images)
