Inter Miami narrowly advanced to the quarterfinals of the Leagues Cup. On Sunday night, the team led by star player Lionel Messi defeated FC Dallas in a penalty shootout, with Maarten Paes in goal.
Against Dallas, Jordi Alba made his debut in the starting lineup for Miami. The left-back had previously come on as a substitute against Orlando City and in the cup match, he demonstrated that his connection with Messi is still strong. As early as the sixth minute, the Spaniard set up Messi, who beat Paes from the edge of the penalty area. However, Dallas did not give up after that. Goals from Facundo Quignon and Bernard Kamungo gave the home team a 2-1 lead at halftime.
When Alan Velasco scored from a free-kick after the break, making it 3-1 for Dallas, the quarterfinals seemed out of reach for Messi and his team. Benjamin Cremaschi brought back some tension by making it 3-2, but an own goal from Robert Taylor shortly after restored the two-goal margin.
In the end, Miami escaped in the final moments. Marco Farfan headed the ball into his own net, making it 4-3. Then, none other than Messi himself forced a penalty shootout. The Argentine left Paes with no chance, curling a beautiful free-kick into the top corner. Messi then opened the scoring in the penalty shootout, while Paxton Pomykal missed Dallas' second penalty. As a result, Miami advanced to the quarterfinals.
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