Another goal from Argentine world champion Lionel Messi, the 8th in five games, helped Inter Miami qualify for the Leagues Cup semi-finals by beating Charlotte 4-0 on Friday in Fort Lauderdale, Florida . The seven-time Golden Ball scored the fourth goal for Miami in the 86th minute, served by Leonardo Campana, delighting his fans at the end of a game in which he was generally discreet.
Miami took the lead in the 12th minute with a penalty converted by Josef Martinez, and doubled the score in the 32nd minute with a goal from Robert Taylor. Charlotte, who had been content to frustrate onslaughts from Messi and Spanish midfielder Sergio Busquets for the first 45 minutes, got bolder after the break. Substitute Patrick Agyemang could have reduced the score, but his close-range header bounced off the bar. Shortly after, Charlotte defender Adilson Malanda scored an own goal trying to intercept a low cross sent to Messi by Diego Gomez.
The Leagues Cup is a tournament reserved for clubs of Major League Soccer and Liga MX, the Mexican first division. In the semi-finals, Inter Miami will face Philadelphia Union, who won (2-1) at home against Mexican club Querétaro.
