Lionel Messi came off the bench to score as Inter Miami moved into the quarter-finals of the Concacaf Champions Cup with a 2-0 win over Cavalier FC in Jamaica.
Messi found the net in added time to put the finishing touch on Inter Miami’s 4-0 aggregate victory in the round-of-16 tie.
It was the Argentinian’s first appearance in three games with the coaching staff hoping to avoid a future injury for the 37-year-old.
Quarterfinals bound 🚀
We’re into the final 8 of the @TheChampions and set to face LAFC in the next round. The dream continues 💪
More details: https://t.co/3N2unUqxLk pic.twitter.com/WLc7aHD2oA
— Inter Miami CF (@InterMiamiCF) March 14, 2025
Messi’s first visit to the Caribbean to play in an official match was highly anticipated. The Argentine great and his Miami teammates were greeted by Jamaica’s Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment, and Sport, Olivia Grange, upon arrival at the airport.
The Jamaican club usually plays in a 3,000-seat stadium but moved the Champions Cup match to the National Stadium, which has a capacity of 35,000.
Messi’s former Barcelona team-mate Luis Suarez opened the scoring with a penalty in the 37th minute before he was replaced by Messi in the 53rd minute to a raucous reception from the Jamaican crowd.
Inter Miami will face fellow MLS side LAFC in the next round.
