In what is bad news for football fans, Lionel Messi could miss Argentina's upcoming set of international friendlies. Argentina will take on El Salvador on March 23, followed by a clash against Costa Rica on March 27.
During Inter Miami's 3-1 win vs Nashville, Messi was subbed off in the 49th-minute. After tests, it was confirmed that the 2022 World Cup sustained a muscular injury in the hamstring of his right leg. Before his substitution, the Argentine had already decided the Round of 16 second leg fixture with an assist and a goal.
Also Read | Lionel Messi combines with Luis Suarez to score first-ever CONCACAF goal, reminds fans of Barcelona days in viral video
Luis Suarez opened the scoring for Miami in the match's eighth minute. Jordi Alba delivered a nice pass to Messi, who in tight space, sent a sensational through ball to Suarez, who converted it to make it 1-0. 15 minutes later, Messi received a pass from Diego Gomez and the former Barcelona captain drove it home to make it 2-0. Meanwhile, Robert Taylor (63') got a second-half goal as Miami sealed a 3-1 win. Sam Surridge scored a late consolation goal for Nashville.
Speaking after the match, Miami head coach Tata Martino said, "He is overloaded in the right posterior. We don't want to run a risk. We tried to see if he could go for a little longer, but it was bothering him, so we preferred for him to just get out of the game."
{{/usCountry}}Speaking after the match, Miami head coach Tata Martino said, "He is overloaded in the right posterior. We don't want to run a risk. We tried to see if he could go for a little longer, but it was bothering him, so we preferred for him to just get out of the game."
{{/usCountry}}"I don't want to risk it, but I imagine that for Saturday's game, he is not going to be available. We'll have an evaluation and see some imaging, and we will see how he progresses," he further added.
The former PSG attacker will also miss Miami's MLS fixture against DC United on Saturday. All eyes will be on Suarez, Alba and Sergio Busquets as the former Barcelona stars will look to take Miami to another win.