Lionel Messi, representing Inter Miami, faced a tough night as he was shut out in a 1-0 loss to Los Angeles FC during the first leg of their CONCACAF Champions Cup quarterfinal on Wednesday. Nathan Ordaz scored the only goal of the match in the 57th minute, effectively keeping the Argentine superstar off the scoresheet.
Messi, who had previously contributed either a goal or an assist in all six of his Champions Cup appearances since joining Miami, was looking to continue his impressive streak. In fact, he had netted three goals in the earlier rounds of this year’s tournament alone.
After a recent return from injury, Messi played the full match against LAFC. He managed to get two of his five shots on target, but both were expertly saved by goalkeeper Hugo Lloris.
The two teams will clash again in Fort Lauderdale on April 9 for the second leg of their quarterfinal matchup.
The aggregate winner of this matchup will progress to the semifinals, where they will face either the Vancouver Whitecaps of MLS or Liga MX’s Pumas, who ended their first leg in a 1-1 draw.
Ordaz, just 21 years old, showcased his talent by eluding veteran Sergio Busquets and unleashing a powerful shot that found the bottom corner of the net from outside the penalty area.
The promising homegrown talent from Los Angeles had also scored in a previous Champions Cup match against Columbus last month, further solidifying his role in the team.
Ordaz narrowly escaped a red card in the first half after a controversial moment with Maxi Falcón, where Miami players claimed he threw a punch. However, after a video review, he was only issued a yellow card.
LAFC, which has previously finished as the runner-up in this tournament in both 2020 and 2023, broke a 0-4-1 streak over the last three and a half weeks with a solid performance against Miami, who currently leads the MLS standings with a record of 4-0-1.
Messi, now 37, has been dealing with an adductor injury that kept him from participating in international duties last month. However, he made a comeback to MLS last Saturday, scoring as a substitute in Miami’s victory over Philadelphia, and returned to the starting lineup in Los Angeles.
During the match, Messi took two free kicks from promising positions in the first half, but his first attempt sailed over the bar, and the second was easily handled by Lloris.
In the 80th minute, he had a chance to equalize, but his quick shot from just outside the penalty area went too high. He also had a low shot in the 86th minute that Lloris managed to smother after a slight bobble.
Messi earned one last free kick in injury time, but his attempt again went high.
The game attracted a star-studded crowd, including NBA superstar Stephen Curry, who was in attendance ahead of his Golden State Warriors’ matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers the following night.
