Lionel Messi Watches from Sideline as Inter Miami Suffers First Loss to Montreal. Inter Miami faced a disappointing 3-2 defeat at home against Montreal as Lionel Messi, wearing street clothes, watched from a sideline box. Messi, who was listed as questionable due to a shin ιnjury, did not participate in the match.

The ιnjury occurred during a 2-2 draw against Nashville in the CONCACAF Champions Cup when Messi tangled with Lukas Macnaughton and twisted his left ankle. Although he continued playing, Messi left the match with a bruιse. Head coach Gerardo “Tata” Martino confirmed that Messi and the team had already agreed he would rest for the Montreal game, regardless of the Nashville result.

Martino has been managing Messi’s workload and recovery as the Argentine superstar has played every minute of Inter Miami’s first four games this season. Given the tight schedule ahead, including two more games in six days and national team commitments, resting Messi was a logical decision.

Despite the absence of Messi, Inter Miami had Luis Suarez and Sergio Busquets as second-half substitutes. However, the team struggled throughout the match, and Montreal capitalized on defensive mistakes to take a two-goal lead. Leonarda Campana scored the equalizing goal for Inter Miami in the 71st minute, but Montreal held on for the victory.

Martino expressed frustration with his team’s defensive performance, noting that they should have won the game and need to focus on improving their defensive efforts. The loss against Montreal marked Inter Miami’s first defeat of the season.

Inter Miami will have a chance to bounce back as they face Nashville again on Wednesday in the second leg of their CONCACAF Champions Cup Round of 16 matchup.