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Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi found the net in stoppage time of the Herons' 2-0 win over Cavalier in the CONCACAF Champions Cup Round of 16 on Thursday in Kingston, Jamaica. Photo by Cristobal Herrera/Ulashkevich/EPA-EFE
March 14 (UPI) -- Lionel Messi slowly jogged before erupting into a sprint, splitting the defense and using a one-touch tap to find the net in stoppage time, helping Inter Miami beat Cavalier to advance in the CONCACAF Champions Cup.
The score came in the second minute of stoppage time of the 2-0 triumph Thursday in Kingston, Jamaica. Fellow Herons striker Luis Suarez scored the game's only other goal on a 37th-minute penalty kick. Messi did not play in the first half. He entered the match as a substitute in the 53rd minute.
"Obviously we wanted him playing but we need to know and to find the moment to send him to the pitch," Herons coach Javier Mascherano told reporters, when asked about Messi.
"I think it was good because he felt very good on the pitch. He could score and the people in Jamaica could see him. So it was a great night for everyone."
The Herons, who also beat the Jamaican Premier League team 2-0 in the first leg of the Round of 16 matchup, will face LAFC in the quarterfinals.
The Herons outshot Cavalier 19-5. They also held 66% of the possession and a 576-300 edge in passes. Suarez and the Herons fired many attempts at the Cavalier net throughout the first half, but most of those strikes were either off target or stopped by goalie Vino Barclett.
Left back Christopher Ainsworth went on to bring down Herons winger Tadeo Allende in the box in the 35th minute, prompting a penalty kick. Suarez calmly stepped up to the spot and smacked a shot off the right post and into the net, as Barclett went to the other side.
The Herons held onto their narrow lead through the remainder of the first half. Their Argentine star entered the game less than 10 minutes into the second and immediately applied pressure, strengthening the Herons attack.
Messi toyed with the Cavalier defense several times, but couldn't break through until the final minutes of the match. Midfielder Santiago Morales, a 75th-minute substitute set up that score.
Morales held the ball about 30 yards from the goal as Messi worked his way into the Cavalier back line. He then took off, caught up to a feed from the midfielder, and used his left boot to guide a shot past Barclett and into the right side of the net.
The Herons will meet LAFC in the first leg of their quarterfinal match up April 1 in Los Angeles. They will play the second leg April 8 in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
The Herons will return to MLS play with a match against Atlanta United at 7 p.m. EDT Sunday in Atlanta. They will host the Philadelphia Union on March 29 in Fort Lauderdale.
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