Argentina and Barcelona legend Lionel Messi inspired Inter Miami to a 2-1 win over FC Porto on Thursday to keep alive their chances of advancing to the Fifa Club World Cup's knockout phase.
The initial Group A meeting between the Major Soccer League outfit and Egyptian champions Al Ahly ended goalless. However, the win put Al Ahly second in their pool, behind Palmeiras, who beat Jose Riveiro's men 2-0.
The 37-year-old has since revealed how the initial goalless draw with the African club pushed them to give their best in their second game.
‘We thought we could have won against Al Ahly'
“It’s an overwhelming joy; the team worked brilliantly. We didn’t just defend; we controlled the ball well,” the versatile attacker said in his interview with DAZN.
“I am happy that we won against Porto, because we felt bitter after the first match [against Al Ahly]; we thought we could have won, but winning against Porto is very important for us, and we will enjoy it.
“We want to compete, and today we faced a strong European team. We played a great match. We will try to continue and repeat our performance,” he added.
Messi explains his brilliant free kick
With the match between Porto and Inter Miami tied at 1-1, Messi's trademark free-kick won it for his team.
“I saw that the goalkeeper was standing a little bit in the middle, and the ball was close to the goal,” he explained.
“It was difficult for it to pass over the crossbar, so I took advantage of the goalkeeper’s position, as he wasn’t covering his post much, and I tried to shoot from there. We know that we are inferior to Palmeiras, but we have a high fighting spirit. It will be a very difficult match,” Messi concluded.
