The Herons managed to secure the upset, but Mascherano's actions could result in further consequences
Lionel Messi missed Inter Miami's quarterfinal match against Liga MX's Tigres, but there was plenty of drama as the Herons edged in a 2-1 thriller on Wednesday night.
Luis Suarez came through with two ice-cold spot kicks as a result of not one, but two handball calls on Tigres' Javier Aquino. Despite being underdogs without their eight-time Ballon D'Or winner Messi, Inter Miami got off to an inspired start. They held an advantage on possession and were more incisive than their Liga MX opponents – who currently sit sixth in the Apertura with a game in hand.
A shot by Suarez hit the bottom of Aquino's arm. After a VAR review, Suarez was awarded the penalty, which he calmly finished. Tempers flared after that play, as several players confronted each other. Reminiscent of his playing days as Liverpool and Barcelona's enforcer, Inter Miami manager Javier Mascherano also got into the mix – yelling at referees and players.
As he walked back on the pitch he was immediately show a red card and had to leave, but the controversy did not end there. Tigres took advantage of the chaos to seize momentum in the second half.
Angel Correa, an international teammate of Messi and Rodrigo De Paul, took advantage of a poor loss of possession from Gonzalo Lujan and weaved past two defenders to score on Oscar Ustari – a shot that could have been saved had the goalkeeper been better positioned.
Mascherano, sitting just 20 feet away from the coach's bench in the stands, was seen using his phone to yell instructions. Cameras caught Lucas Rodriguez Pagano, his assistant coach, answering on the phone's loudspeaker.
Luck remained on Miami's side. Another penalty was awarded following a more obvious handball by Aquino. Suarez easily converted, shooting in the same direction to ice Miami's win.
GOAL rates Inter Miami's players from Chase Stadium.
Goalkeeper & Defense
Oscar Ustari (6/10):
Made some key saves in the first half, but should have done better on the goal. The ball rolled just past his fingers on Correa's finish.
Jordi Alba (6/10):
With Messi out, Miami relied on the left back to be a facilitator early on, but Tigres continued to rough up the defender on every opportunity. Came off shortly after halftime after sustaining a second knock.
Gonzalo Luján (5/10):
Was culpable on the Correa goal as he needlessly gave up possession in a dangerous position, which Tigres immediately pounced on. Otherwise, decent at best.
Maxi Falcon (7/10):
Remains Miami's best defender at the moment and played a strong role in neutralizing the Tigres attack – outside of the equalizer.
Ian Fray (7/10):
Was rotated in for Marcelo Weigandt and was a solid presence at right back. Didn't offer much going forward, but as importantly, didn't give up much either.
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Telasco Segovia (6/10):
Similar to his teammates, was effective for about 20 minutes before Tigres started to impose their will. Got a yellow card and was subbed off shortly after.
Sergio Busquets (7/10):
Neat and tidy on the ball, hitting 93 percent of his passes to give Miami a semblance of possession – which was otherwise dominated by Tigres. Almost conceded a penalty on the other end, though.
Rodrigo De Paul (6/10):
Strong first half, gassed in the second half. One could question if the run of games is finally catching up with the former Atletico star, who played a full European season, then played in Club World Cup before joining Inter Miami. He couldn't replicate his typical dominance in the final 45 minutes.
Yannick Bright (7/10):
Remains one of The Herons most unheralded stars, quietly impacting both sides of the ball. Almost had a highlight of the year as he nutmeged a Tigres defender and had a brief 1v1 with Nahuel Guzmán before being blocked.
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Tadeo Allende (5/10):
Playing central as opposed to his natural wing, Allende struggled to make an impact – failing to properly linkup play outside of a brilliant opening few minutes by Miami.
Luis Suarez (6/10):
Cooly slotted in his penalties, but was listless otherwise – which is expected for a player who is pushing forward. He simply can't break down defenses like he used to, even as recently as the early part of last season.
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Benjamin Cremaschi (6/10):
Offered pace and some penetration, but his well-known frustration of not playing central again was visible on the pitch. Simply, he's a not winger and he doesn't operate like one when placed in the role. Did make some inteligent decisions at the end of the match to ensure the win, though.
Noah Allen (7/10):
Similar to Fray, doesn't offer much in attack, but made valuable plays to keep Miami ahead late in the game.
Marcelo Weigandt (7/10):
Came on at the 63rd minute and offerred fresh legs and renewed defensive effort after Fray came off. Didn't put a bad foot in.
Javier Mascherano (2/10):
Outside of an inspired opening 20 minutes from Inter Miami, which led to the game's opening goal, Mascherano has a lot to answer for. On the pitch, the team lacked width as the Herons lined up with three central midfielders in a 4-4-2 lineup, relying heavily on Segovia as their sole outlet for pace and penetration until Cremaschi came on in the 63rd minute. He also created controversy. The Argentine needlessly got sent off at halftime for barking at referees and then was caught on camera appearing to give instructions on his cell phone to his assistant coach, Pagano. Mascherano could risk further consequences.