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Inter Miami vs Orlando City score, result, highlights as Lionel Messi scores brace to advance in Leagues Cup

By August 3, 2023No Comments

With a week between the Leagues Cup group stage and knockout stage, the fanfare of Lionel Messi’s debut for Inter Miami waned a bit, and the work begins in earnest. That doesn’t seem to matter to the greatest player of all-time.

Amidst questions about whether Messi’s magical start to his U.S. career would be short-lived, the Argentine answered that in one fell swoop, scoring another two goals in a 3-1 win over Orlando City SC to see Inter Miami advance to the Round of 16 in the Leagues Cup.

Messi continued his brilliance, helping drag this last-placed Inter Miami side to the next stage of this new North American knockout competition. Josef Martinez added one more from the penalty spot, and Orlando City didn’t have enough to match, only managing a first-half strike from Cesar Araujo.

Jordi Alba also made his Inter Miami debut in the process, coming on as a second-half substitute as he looks to establish himself as the club’s new left-back starter.

Messi will now hit the road for the first time with his new club, as Inter Miami are set to visit FC Dallas, who topped Mexican side Mazatlan 2-1 in their Round of 32 matchup.

The Sporting News is following the Inter Miami vs Orlando City match live, providing score updates, commentary and highlights as they happen.

MORE: Messi’s Miami apartment | Messi’s wife & family | Messi’s net worth

Inter Miami vs Orlando City final score

  Score Goal scorers
Inter Miami 3 Messi (7′, 72′),
J. Martinez (51′)
Orlando City 1 Araujo (16′)

Starting lineups:

Inter Miami (4-3-3, right to left): 1. Callender (GK) — 2. Yedlin, 27. Kryvtsov, 31. Miller, 32. Allen (Alba, 63′) — 3. Arroyo (D. Ruiz, 81′), 5. Busquets, 30. Cremaschi (D. Gomez, 63′) — 10. Messi, 17. J. Martinez (Campana, 81′), 16. Taylor (Lynn, 89′).

Orlando City (4-2-3-1, right to left): 1. Gallese (GK) — 24. Smith (Thorhallson, 60′), 25. Carlos, 6. Jansson, 3. Santos — 5. Araujo, 16. Cartagena (Martins, 79′) — 17. F. Torres, 10. M. Pereira (Ojeda, 65′), 77. Angulo (Kara, 79′) — 13. McGuire (Enrique, 60′).

MORE: Inter Miami beginner’s guide | Messi’s new stadium | Club owners | New coach

Inter Miami vs Orlando City live updates, highlights, commentary

FULLTIME: Inter Miami 3-1 Orlando City

What can you say about the greatest of all-time? Lionel Messi scores another brace, and Inter Miami are moving on.

After Atlanta United gave Messi acres of space a week ago and were punished, Orlando City came into this match and looked to play a physical brand of football. That didn’t work either, as a frustrated Messi made Orlando City pay to the tune of two similar goals from five yards out.

At the end of the 90 minutes, another team tries and fails to stop the Argentine superstar.

Inter Miami vs Orlando City: Second Half

90+10 min: GOAL! ORLANDO CITY! There doesn’t appear to be time for a full comeback, but Orlando City have a late consolation! A cross along the face of goal falls right to Cesar Araujo, and he slams it home at the far post. The seven minutes of stoppage time have elapsed some time ago, and they’re now within one.

But wait! A VAR review here brings the referee to the monitor. It looks like an Orlando City player at the near post is in an offside position, and definitely interferes with Drake Callender. The decision is a quick one, and it’s NO GOAL! Orlando City goalkeeper Pedro Gallese is booked for his protests in the aftermath.

90+7 min: Drake Callender rises high to meet a free-kick delivery and pulverizes his teammate Kamal Miller in the process. Miller is down receiving treatment but is up to continue shortly after.

90+5 min: DeAndre Yedlin is down and needs treatment for what appear to be cramps. Lionel Messi gets a huge reaction from the crowd with a simple smile and wave.

89th min: Ramiro Enrique rips one miles high over the goal for Orlando City from a central location.

Tata Martino makes his final change, replacing Robert Taylor with Jack Lynn. Seven minutes of added time are shown by the fourth official.

85th min: Chance, Inter Miami! Robert Taylor sends a good chance high! Diego Gomez charges into the attacking third straight down the middle, and he sends it left to Taylor in space. Taylor had room to shoot, but the angle was a bit tight and he sends it high trying to pick his spot. Leo Campana is frustrated he didn’t get a feed laterally to the doorstep where he was waiting.

84th min: Sergio Busquets is receiving treatment after a tackle from Nicolas Jansson. Lionel Messi is seen having a somewhat aggressive conversation with Felipe, and Leo Campana comes over to support his teammate. Nothing more comes of it, but these two teams have spent basically the whole match sparring with each other

78th min: Josef Martinez is threaded through with a vertical ball but Pedro Gallese gets to it first. A really good buildup for Inter Miami down the middle but it just comes up empty.

Orlando City make another two changes, with Felipe Martins and Ercan Kara entering for Wilder Cartagena and Ivan Angulo. Inter Miami counter by withdrawing Josef Martinez in favor of Leo Campana, while David Ruiz comes on for Dixon Arroyo, who had to be stretchered off with what looked to be a hamstring injury. Inter Miami can ill afford any more injuries in midfield.

72nd min: GOAL! INTER MIAMI! MESSI’S DONE IT AGAIN! Inter Miami go 3-1 up as Messi bags a very similar goal to his opener!

Messi starts the move by opening it up for Robert Taylor down the left. The winger floats a perfect ball to Josef Martinez eight yards out at the far post, and he chips it back centrally for Messi who whacks it on the volley past Pedro Gallese, this time with his right foot. His fifth goal in three matches!

70th min: The substitutions have really ground this game to a halt. Inter Miami possessing the ball but very little is happening. Inter Miami have held 70% possession through this match, out-passing Orlando City 464-165 through 70 minutes.

65th min: The subs are coming in quick fashion now, as Martin Ojeda enters to replace Matheus Pereira.

Diego Gomez, on the field for just three minutes, picks up his first yellow card after barging through the back of Nicolas Jansson.

63rd min: Jordi Alba has been waiting on the touchline for a number of minutes, and finally enters here to replace Noah Allen at left-back. Alba is making his Inter Miami debut. Diego Gomez also enters for Benji Cremaschi to make his debut.

60th min: While Messi continues to receive treatment, Orlando City makes two changes. A pair of forwards come on as Dan Thorhallson and Ramiro Enrique enter, replacing Kyle Smith and Duncan McGuire. At least one of those players withdrawn had been booked (there’s some confusion over whether McGuire received a yellow in the last 10 minutes).

57th min: Lionel Messi is fouled hard by Mauricio Pereira, who just goes chest-to-chest with the Argentine while he tracks a ball in the air. Pereira is booked, and the teams again come together as Inter Miami look to protect their star. Messi is down for quite a while, as the trainers tend to his face, looks like he may have picked up a cut on his chin.

Both teams are readying substitutions to come on soon.

48th min: PENALTY, INTER MIAMI! Josef Martinez is clipped by Antonio Carlos as he chases a through ball, and Inter Miami have a chance to go in front as Ivan Barton points to the spot! There’s very little contact, but the further question here is that would Martinez have reached Benji Cremaschi’s through-ball? Probably not, as Pedro Gallese was off his line and about to collect.

There’s a long VAR check, but the call survives. It’s a very soft call, but there’s not much concrete on replay to overturn it. Carlos is booked for his challenge.

Martinez won it, so he’ll step up to take…and Martinez scores! He takes a stutter step at the final spot, and Pedro Gallese holds his line, but Martinez then sends him the wrong way with the eventual hit! it gives Martinez nine goals in 12 career games against Orlando City.

Kickoff: The second half is under way as these two teams begin again, after a very physical and chippy first 45 minutes. No changes for either team it would seem, which isn’t terribly surprising given how well both sides played in various aspects. It also means no Jordi Alba for Inter Miami just yet, although he’s likely to enter at some point.

HALFTIME: Inter Miami 1-1 Orlando City

Halftime: We saw Lionel Messi and Cesar Araujo chatting the entire way off the pitch, and now The Athletic is reporting the two were involved in an “alteration” in the tunnel. It’s unclear what this involved, but there’s very little else in terms of details, and it wasn’t mentioned on the broadcast at all through the second half, so it seems minimal at this point.

Halftime: The referee has a lot to do as the players are chirping all the way to the locker room. 22-year-old Cesar Araujo is vigorously chatting with Lionel Messi all the way to the tunnel.

Messi is the star once again for Inter Miami, but they reach halftime level with Orlando City. Messi could have had a hat-trick, but will have to settle for just the one after hitting the post with a second and seeing his free-kick saved by Pedro Gallese.

There’s been some real venom to this match so far, and we’ll see if both sides can manage to keep 11 players on the pitch the whole way through. Messi does have a yellow card, and that could affect Tata Martino’s substitutions depending on how the second half progresses, as it does seem Orlando City are targeting him a bit.

Inter Miami vs Orlando City: First Half

45+2 min: More pushing and shoving! Kyle Smith drags back Lionel Messi and is shown a yellow card. Lionel Messi wasn’t whistled for a foul in the moments before, throwing a hip into Mauricio Pereira, and Orlando City players are incensed with referee Ivan Barton yet again. There’s a bit of a scrum as the players are in each others’ faces.

44th min: Chance, Inter Miami! Josef Martinez is sandwiched by two Orlando City defenders, giving Inter Miami a free-kick very much within Lionel Messi range. Orlando City players are furious with the call, but Ivan Barton has made his decision. Messi takes aim from 25 yards out, but Pedro Gallese makes a sensational save!! That was bound for the back of the net!

Two minutes of added time are shown.

41st min: Chance, Inter Miami! Robert Taylor has a hit from a good distance out and he’s not far off! He’s gunning for the top-right corner of the net and just fizzes it wide. Good chance! Robert Taylor has really come into his own since Messi’s arrival.

39th min: Orlando City have a good chance on a two-on-two breakaway, but Duncan McGuire’s caught between shooting and passing, and his eventual lateral feed for a teammate in front of goal was underhit.

31st min: Chance, Inter Miami! Lionel Messi NEARLY makes it two! He slices on the ball through the heart of the penalty area, and works himself a big chunk of space to shoot, but he rifles it off the outside of the post! SO close to a fifth Inter Miami goal!

27th min: Orlando City with a good spell of possession that ends in a shot by Ivan Angulo deflected out for a corner. Multiple Inter Miami players have their hands raised calling for offside, and replay shows they have a legitimate gripe, but nonetheless it’s not called. The corner, however, is wasted by Orlando City.

21st min: A yellow card to Lionel Messi! He is dispossessed by Robin Jansson and then clips Cartagena on the back of the heel very late. Deserved!

19th min: It’s getting a bit chippy already! Lionel Messi is fouled by Wilder Cartagena (or maybe a handball is called) and Messi isn’t happy with his opponent’s conduct. There are some words exchanged before referee Ivan Barton comes in to calm things down. The official focuses his attention on Messi, saying that he called the foul and that should be enough.

16th min: GOAL! ORLANDO CITY! A short corner produces a good chance at the near post for Ivan Angulo, and Drake Callender makes a fantastic save, but it falls to Cesar Araujo at the far post, the he sneaks the effort through the forest of bodies and into the back of the net! The follow-up hits Callender on the leg and almost stayed out, but it clips through the wickets and finds the net for the equalizer.

14th min: Lionel Messi is fouled near midfield and the crowd erupts. Josef Martinez takes another whack from a long way out and doesn’t come close.

7th min: GOAL! INTER MIAMI! THERE’S NO STOPPING LIONEL MESSI, HE’S DONE IT AGAIN! It’s a SENSATIONAL goal! Messi gets a glorious feed from Robert Taylor who cuts inside on his right and the lofts a fantastic ball over the top of the Orlando City back line right to Messi completely unmarked.

Messi’s finish is astounding, chesting it down to himself and slamming it home on the volley. Nothing Pedro Gallese can do about it. The slow-mo replay of Robin Jansson looking over his shoulder and seeing Messi sneak in behind him is simply art.

6th min: Lionel Messi is dropping VERY deep to recover possession for Inter Miami. Josef Martinez has a powerful hit from distance but Pedro Gallese parries and then collects it. Messi then tries to feed Martinez through but Gallese comes off his line to grab it and the flag goes up.

3rd min: Orlando City have the best early attacking possession and Facundo Torres earns a corner for the visitors. It’s handled well by Drake Callender, who leaps up to catch the initial delivery.

This is a true Argentina vs Uruguay matchup, with Inter Miami led by Lionel Messi against Torres and Mauricio Pereira of Uruguay.

Kickoff: After a 95 minute weather delay, this match is officially under way! Rick Ross and Derek Jeter are on hand for both of their first-ever in-person soccer match.

The broadcast notes Lionel Messi as the “player to watch.” Really out on a limb there.

Inter Miami vs Orlando City: Pre-match commentary, analysis, stats, and more

Delay (9:30pm ET): With kickoff of this match imminent, Inter Miami took the time to introduce Jordi Alba to the DRV PNK Stadium fans.

Delay (9:15pm ET): David Beckham tells the Apple broadcast that he never had to deal with a weather delay during his playing career. That makes sense, as England doesn’t get the same heat pattern required to generate the kind of thunderstorms that the U.S. experiences. Beckham, however, decided to claim that “in England, we played through rain, thunder, lightning, whatever.” Somehow, I seriously doubt that! It sounds pretty stupid.

He then did say something interesting, though. Beckham says he liked playing on a wet pitch because it’s “faster.” I wonder if we see that kind of effect once tonight’s game starts!

Delay (9pm ET): The players have retaken the field for warmups, and the field looks to be in much better shape, allaying fears stemming from the images we saw during the rainstorm. Credit the grounds crew at DRV PNK Stadium (which the MLS broadcast points out is a former Orlando City grounds crew, spicy!).

Delay (8:45pm ET): We finally have official word from Leagues Cup officials at DRV PNK Stadium. The players will be allowed back on the field to begin their warmups at 8:50 p.m. ET, and the match will kick off at 9:35 p.m. ET.

That’s a long way away, mostly because the players were barely allowed time to begin warmups when the weather arrived. They need to be given requisite time to complete their warmups for player safety purposes.

Delay (8:35pm ET): Workers have started tending to the DRV PNK Stadium pitch, as the rain appears to have let up. No word on a start time yet, but this is another good sign.

Delay (8:25pm ET): A peek at the radar does show that the rain appears to finally be starting to taper off. No official word yet, but a positive sign at least.

It is notable that the most important aspect of the weather with regards to the delay is lightning, not rain, but an inspection of the pitch will be required as well, to see how playable it is after taking on so much water.

Delay (8:15pm ET): The pitch at DRV PNK Stadium appears to be having trouble soaking up the significant amounts of rain.

Delay (8pm ET): Lionel Messi’s arrival at Inter Miami has brought the stars out to see him play. Kim Kardashian was on hand to watch Messi’s debut over a week ago, while DJ Khaled was in attendance for his first start.

Today, New York Yankee legend Derek Jeter is in the crowd to watch Messi play.

5 mins to kick: The rain is coming down quite hard in Ft. Lauderdale, but these storm cells usually blow through relatively quickly in Florida, so hopefully that holds true here.

At this point, there is no word on when this match could kick off. We’ll need to wait for the weather to show signs of clearing before that can happen. If lightning continues, so does the delay.

15 mins to kick: And, as we thought was a possibility somewhat earlier, the match is officially in a lightning delay. It shouldn’t be a long one, but there’s a mandatory 30 minute pause when lightning is in the vicinity, so the game will not start on time.

20 mins to kick: Orlando City fans have brought the vitriol of an in-state rivalry with them south to Ft. Lauderdale! The visiting supporters aren’t going to get themselves wrapped up in being awe-struck by the greats wearing enemy colors tonight, at least not from the start.

30 mins to kick: The weather over Ft. Lauderdale appears threatening, and it’s possible we get a lightning delay to begin this match. Florida is known for its pop-up thunderstorms around this time in the evening, and while they usually don’t last too long, it could mean the start of this match may be pushed back for safety concerns.

40 mins to kick: Lineups are now out, and as expected, Tata Martino names an unchanged side from the Inter Miami XI that trounced Atlanta United last time out in the second group match. Lionel Messi and Sergino Busquets start, with Jordi Alba on the bench.

For Orlando City, it’s the same story, also an unchanged side from the last-gasp victory over Santos Laguna last time out. Midfielder Wilder Cartagena scored a 92nd minute winner to see Orlando City top their Leagues Cup group.

50 mins to kick: Lineups have still not yet been released, so we look at the venue for tonight’s match, DRV PNK Stadium. Orlando City will be hoping to take the color out of the arena, but for Lionel Messi’s first two games in pink, it’s been bumping.

Inter Miami will move to a more permanent venue in 2025 which is closer to their actual city of Miami, but for now they play in the 18,000 seat Ft. Lauderdale venue, which has turned up well for Messi’s first two matches.

1 hour 15 mins to kick: According to apparel company Fanatics, the first 24 hours of sales for Lionel Messi’s jersey with Inter Miami resulted in the best day of sales for any athlete changing teams in the history of sports. He’s a global sensation, and it’s been a defining moment in the history of soccer in the U.S.

1 hour 30 mins to kick: Gaston Edul of TyC Sports reports that Lionel Messi and Sergio Busquets will start today for Inter Miami, with Jordi Alba likely to come off the bench as he builds up full match fitness.

Inter Miami are in need of a left-back, so Alba’s addition is a welcome one. Franco Negri tore his ACL, and current starter Noah Allen is just 19 years old.

1 hour 45 mins to kick: The Leagues Cup is only just starting its knockout stage, and already we’ve seen some utterly wild moments around the competition. Through just the group stage, there’s already been a 16-round penalty shootout, a 10-round penalty shootout, a 4-2 result on a 2-0 comeback, seven stoppage-time goals to earn points, and a goalkeeper score a penalty.

The 45 group stage games featured 158 goals, for an average of 3.38 goals per game. What else is in store for the knockout rounds?

2 hours to kickoff: Lionel Messi’s three goals put him tied for third (with five other players) among top goal scorers in the Leagues Cup. He’s two behind the leader German Berterame of Monterrey, who has five after a hat-trick against the Seattle Sounders on Sunday.

Inter Miami vs Orlando City lineups, team news

Aside from long-term absentees Gregore, Jean Mota, Corentin Jean, Franco Negri, and Ian Fray, there are no injury issues for Inter Miami. They will, however, be missing Christopher McVey who is suspended following his late red card against Atlanta United after entering as a sub.

Today, Head coach Tata Martino makes no changes to the starting lineup that picked Atlanta United apart. Lionel Messi and Sergio Busquets looked as if they had played in this side for years, wonderfully in sync with teammates like Robert Taylor and Benja Cremaschi.

New arrival Jordi Alba has only been with the club for a few days, and while he doesn’t start, he is likely to make an appearance off the bench.

Inter Miami starting lineup (4-3-3): Callender (GK) — Yedlin, Kryvtsov, Miller, Allen — Arroyo, Busquets, Cremaschi — Messi, J. Martinez, Taylor.

Inter Miami subs (12): Jensen (GK), Dos Santos (GK), Sailor, Alba, Neville, Ulloa, Azcona, D. Gomez, D. Ruiz, Borgelin, R. Robinson, Campana.

Orlando City manager Oscar Pareja has maintained a relatively consistent starting lineup, making just one change between his two Leagues Cup games. He installed Mauricio Pereira into the XI against Santos Laguna, to great effect, as the Uruguayan was central to their three-goal haul. Pereira keeps his place here in an unchanged Orlando City lineup.

Slight muscle problems for Michael Halliday, Gaston Gonzalez, and Junior Urso are the only injury issues for Pareja to worry about here.

Orlando City starting lineup (4-2-3-1): Gallese (GK) — Smith, Carlos, Jansson, Santos — Araujo, Cartagena — F. Torres, M. Pereira, Angulo — McGuire.

Orlando City subs (12): Stajduhar (GK), Grinwis (GK), Schlegel, Petrasso, Salim, Ojeda, Felipe, Thorhallson, S. Mohammed, Enrique, Lynn, Kara.

How to watch Inter Miami vs Orlando City live stream

  • Date: Wednesday, August 2, 2023
  • Time: 8 p.m. ET / 1 a.m. BST (Thu, Aug. 3) / 10 a.m. AEST (Thu, Aug. 3)
  • TV Channel: — None —
  • Streaming: MLS Season Pass on Apple TV

The entirety of the Leagues Cup is being streamed on MLS Season Pass which can be found on Apple TV.

With the MLS season past the halfway mark, Apple has slashed the price on subscriptions for MLS Season Pass, with new users able to jump in at 50 percent off for the rest of the year.

And Apple is going all in on the Messi boost. For Inter Miami’s Leagues Cup matches, MLS Season Pass features “an enhanced production” with “18 cameras, Steadicam, four super slow-motion cameras, Skycam, a drone, sideline reporters in Spanish and English, a dedicated one-hour pregame show on site with features, interviews and expert analysis, and a postgame show to wrap things up.”

MORE: Can Messi win MLS title? | Records he can break | Trophies he can win

Inter Miami vs Orlando City betting odds

Inter Miami are favorites to win their Round of 32 knockout stage match against Orlando City, but it’s an in-state rivalry match, and the opponent has had time to prepare for Lionel Messi’s integration into Inter Miami, so the disparity isn’t massive, and Orlando are given a sniff at advancing.

Interestingly, while goals are expected given Messi’s presence in the squad and his performances against Atlanta United, there’s still an expectation that hitting the 2.5 goal threshold will be somewhat in question.

  Miami
win		 Draw Orlando
win		 Both teams
to score Y / N		 Over / Under
2.5 goals		 MIA
-0.5		 ORL
+0.5
BetMGM
(USA)		 -130 +260 +333 -135 / -105 -130 / -110 -135 -105
Sports
Interaction
(Canada)		 -139 +244 +305 — -127 / -109 -130 -103

Source

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