In the match between Inter Miami vs Monterrey in the quarterfinals of the first leg of CONCACAF Champions League 2024, the home team was unable to win despite taking the lead quite early. With this defeat, Inter Miami will face many difficulties in the upcoming match.
Scored
Inter Miami: Aviles (19′)
Monterrey: Meza (69′), Jorge Rodriguez (89′)
Red card: David Ruiz (Inter Miami, 65′)
As Lionel Messi continues to be sidelined due to an injury, he is unable to participate in the game and must instead watch it from the stands. On the other hand, Luis Suarez, Jordi Alba, and Sergio Busquets were all included in Inter Miami’s starting lineup when Monterrey was accepted into the team.
Inter Miami did not do well in their game, despite the fact that they were playing at home, as they were quickly faced with pressure from their opponents. Fortunately, goalie Callender was attentive when he successfully blocked Vasquez’s shot in the fourth minute of the game.
After that, the home team gradually got into rhythm, and in the nineteenth minute, they opened the score with a corner kick since they had their first opportunity. An accurate shot and a close-range cut to Moreno’s face were the two components that allowed Tomas Aviles, a player for Inter Miami, to score and assist the team progress. In favor of Inter Miami, 1-0.
Even after scoring the goal, Monterrey’s performance did not improve, and they came dangerously close to giving up another goal at the end of the first half. During the 45th minute, Suarez was able to get away from Alba’s pass; nevertheless, his shot altered direction and was not powerful enough to beat Andrada, who was the goalkeeper the entire time.
It was three minutes later that Suarez hit the wall with reserve striker Leonardo Alfonso, but Alfonso’s shot was rather inaccurate. Suarez’s effort was successful. Despite the fact that Inter Miami continued to maintain control of the game at the beginning of the second half, Gressel and David Ruiz failed to capitalize on opportunities in front of the goalie within the first eight minutes of the half.
When Ruiz was sent off the field with a second yellow card in the 65th minute for a cold hit, Inter Miami was already in a solid position. However, they were only playing with ten players at the time. Less than four minutes later, Monterrey equalized the score with a strike from Meza on a corner kick.
Due to the fact that Inter Miami was playing without players, its midfielders were unable to hold the ball, and whatever transpired had to take place. Midfielder Diego Gomez made a careless mistake and lost possession of the ball in the 89th minute just in front of the 16-meter-50 area. Jorge Rodriguez did not miss the opportunity to score a goal from a distance that was too far away, which contributed to Monterrey’s victory by a score of 2-1.
Following the conclusion of this match, Inter Miami will have a return to the Major League Soccer tournament against Colorado on the morning of April 7. Following that, they will play the second leg of the quarterfinals against Monterrey in Mexico at 9:30 a.m. on April 11.
Inter Miami: Callender, Alba, Freire, Aviles, Weigandt, Gomez, Busquets, Ruiz, Taylor (Afonso 37′ – Sailor 67′), Gressel, SuarezMonterrey: Andrada, Arteaga, Moreno (Vegas 46′), Guzman, Aguirre, Rodriguez, Romo (Cortizo 57′), Gallardo (Berterame 57′), Canales, Meza, Vasquez (Corona 85′)