Messi held his breath as he watched Inter Miami beat Toronto FC with a rain of goals

This is the 10th match since the beginning of June that Messi has been absent from Inter Miami. However, the Chase Stadium team, with the brilliance of Jordi Alba, Busquets and Suarez, continued to advance in the MLS (top of the table) and the Leagues Cup (into the round of 16).

In the match against Toronto FC in the round of 32 of the Leagues Cup on August 9, defender Jordi Alba replaced Messi's role to set a record by contributing 4 assists to help teammates Matias Rojas (2 goals), Diego Gomez and Luis Suarez score to help the home team win and enter the round of 16.

Inter Miami's victory seemed easy, as they took an early 2-0 lead (Rojas and Diego Gomez scored in the 3rd and 11th minutes). Outside the stadium, Messi, who came to watch with his family, appeared relaxed.

However, Toronto FC with veteran Italian striker Lorenzo Insigne did not let the opponent win easily. In the 15th minute, Insigne shortened the score to 1-2 from the 11m mark. Inter Miami increased the gap to 3-1 in the 20th minute thanks to a beautiful goal scored by veteran striker Suarez. All 3 goals of Inter Miami since the beginning of this match were assisted by Jordi Alba.

However, defender David Martinez was sent off in the 27th minute for a foul that could have led to a Toronto FC goal, leaving Inter Miami with 10 men. The situation made Messi and Inter Miami fans start to worry.

Taking advantage of the advantage of having more players, Toronto FC put on fierce pressure and managed to narrow the score to 2-3 in the 42nd minute, also from the 11m mark after many missed opportunities. The goal was also scored by striker Insigne in the 41st minute.

In the second half, coach Tata Martino had to make many changes to strengthen the Inter Miami squad, especially in defense and midfield. Fortunately for the team of president and co-owner David Beckham, in the 59th minute, midfielder Rojas scored the second goal of the match to increase the score to 4-2 after a dangerous shot from outside the box assisted by Jordi Alba once again, to increase the safety gap.

It was this goal that helped Inter Miami stand firm, although they also had to endure a thrilling final moment when Toronto FC once again reduced the score to 3-4 thanks to a Noah Allen own goal in the 78th minute.

Watching the match from the stands, Messi was clearly nervous. But the efforts of his teammates helped Inter Miami successfully defend the score 4-3 to enter the round of 16 of the Leagues Cup.

In the League Cup round of 16, Inter Miami will face the winner of the American match between Columbus Crew and Sporting Kansas City. This match will take place in mid-August, with a high possibility that Messi will officially return to play.