Two-time FIFA champion Mia Hamm speaks out about Messi mania in the US
Mia Hamm is not at all surprised by the way Lionel Messi has taken America by storm.
Sports seriously, USA Today
There’s only one way to put it: the return of Lionel Messi.
Messi scored twice and played all 93 minutes as Argentina beat Peru 2-0 in a 2026 World Cup qualifier at the Estadio Nacional de Lima in Lima, Peru on Tuesday night.
Messi appeared strong and regained his fitness. He played from start to finish and scored for the first time since he suffered an injury to his right leg against Argentina on September 7, an injury that hampered him during most of the past six weeks with Inter Miami.
Messi was very aggressive and intelligent at one point, He made a Peruvian defender go down twice While dribbling back and forth on the goal line before crossing the midfield. He chose his positions wisely on his two first-half goals, falling behind his teammates on both plays before curling an open shot home.
Argentine coach Lionel Scaloni said: “The most important thing is that Messi is in good health. He manages the minutes on his own.” He said after the matchWhich helped Argentina remain at the top of the CONMEBOL standings with 12 points.
Messi fell behind in the middle of the penalty area, and received a pass on a golden platter from Nicolas Gonzalez to score his first goal. His left boot connected with the top right corner of the net in the 32nd minuteSecond abbreviation Minute, he jumped over the fallen Peruvian defender to start celebrating with his teammates.
Ten minutes later, Messi scored twice as Enzo Fernandes’ pass found him in the right position for a left-footed boot into the bottom left corner of the net in the 42nd minute.Second abbreviation minute.
When the second half began, Messi remained aggressive in pursuit of a hat-trick. But at least three chances, including an 88th-minute free-kick, did not produce the same impressive results for the 2022 World Cup champion and seven-time Ballon d’Or winner.
“We have great players and a very special style of play, which we like. We want to continue on this path.” Messi said For the Argentine national team after the victory.
“After winning the World Cup, we are confident, more united and more consistent. We hope we can continue to grow.” Messi added.
Lionel Messi highlights against Peru
Messi’s resurgence may be disappointing for fans who missed him playing over the past month in cities such as Atlanta, Orlando, Chicago and his home stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He missed six Inter Miami matches, including the club’s US Open Cup final loss to the Houston Dynamo.
Messi will not play in either of Inter Miami’s remaining two matches on Wednesday at home and on the road on Saturday against Charlotte FC, effectively ending his first season in MLS.
Messi returned to Inter Miami for the second half against FC Cincinnati on October 7, and a 1-0 loss ended the club’s post-season hopes and he felt more than fine before returning to Argentina for this two-game stint.
Messi participated as a substitute in Argentina’s 1-0 win over Paraguay last Thursday, but showed some rust when he hit the goal post twice in the second half.
But Messi didn’t look rusty at all on Tuesday night.
Messi looked like he had returned to his level. Just as he did when he first joined Inter Miami and led the club to their exciting run to the League Cup in late July and August and their first championship.
Some rest, a lot of travel.
Inter Miami announced that it will play two international friendly matches in China, which will dominate Messi’s schedule at the beginning of November.
Inter Miami will play Qingdao Hainyu FC in Qingdao, China on November 5 at Qingdao Youth Soccer Stadium and Chengdu Rongcheng in Chengdu, China on November 8 at Phoenix Hill Sports Park.
Messi is likely to return to the Argentine national team to play two matches against Uruguay on November 16 and Brazil on November 21.
Leo Messi’s aggression did not slow down in this second half. He wants a triple. But his third goal is yet to come.
Messi was inside the goal area when he shot the ball in the 67th minutey The minute is stopped by the goalkeeper. Messi tried to play with the ball while lying on the field, and made a mistake.
One minute later, Messi took another shot but missed.
Leo Messi raised his hands in the air and began the celebration with a hug between his teammates.
Messi was standing next to the net when the Peruvian player shot a ball directly into the goal area towards him. Messi shot it into the net in the 57th minutey minute.
But after a VAR review, it was found that Argentina had been offside.
Messi was denied his third goal of the match and a possible hat-trick.
Welcome back, Leo Messi.
Messi scored his second goal in the 42nd minuteSecond abbreviation Minute 8, giving Argentina a 2-0 lead over Peru in the first half.
Messi fell behind in the game as he did his first goal 10 minutes earlier. Messi’s left boot did the rest.
Messi took Julian Alvarez’s pass and shot it into the net.
Messi has a brace in his first match since September 7.
Messi was late in the middle of the penalty area, and received a pass on a golden platter.
And Messi did what he does best.
The ball continued with Messi’s left shoe, and the ball hit the upper right corner of the goal in the 32nd minuteSecond abbreviation Minute 10, Argentina leads Peru 1-0.
Messi even jumped over the Peruvian defender after his kick as he began celebrating his goal with his Argentine teammates.
It is Messi’s first goal since he helped Argentina beat Ecuador 1-0 on September 7, a game in which he initially suffered an injury that has set him back for much of the past six weeks.
Messi, who played strongly in the first minutes, had the opportunity to take a free kick in the 11th minutey minute.
Messi was fouled by Peruvian player Nelson Loyola outside the right side of the penalty area in the ninth minute, so he shot.
But Messi’s kick was high and Peruvian goalkeeper Pedro Gallese caught it in the middle of the net.
Messi already has two kicks into the net in his first appearance in over a month.
Messi didn’t waste much time getting his first shot on target.
Messi’s left kick after 3 minutes went straight outside the right post.
Below is the starting lineup for Argentina:
What did the Argentina coach say about Messi?
Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni gave an encouraging update on Messi’s health on Monday.
“Messi is fine, he trained. We will make the decision (Tuesday).”
How long will Messi play against Peru? This will be decided after Messi and Scaloni meet about his player status.
“It’s talking to him and asking him how he’s doing. If he’s healthy…it’s a matter of minutes, how much he can play. If he’s okay, you already know what I think. If he’s okay he’ll play. There’s nothing else I can say.”
How did Messi perform in his last two matches?
Messi needs time to get rid of the rust after his absence with Inter Miami last month.
Messi’s rustiness showed when he hit the crossbar twice in Argentina’s match against Paraguay on October 12. Among those instances is a free kick on goal, which Messi has routinely taken since joining Inter Miami this summer.
However, the rematch was better than his return to Inter Miami against FC Cincinnati on October 7, when he did not have a single shot on target. Inter Miami lost 1-0, the club’s first loss with Messi in the lineup and which ended their MLS post-season hopes.
Messi missed six matches with Inter Miami last September after being injured during Argentina’s 1-0 win over Ecuador on September 7.
Where does Argentina stand in World Cup qualifiers?
Argentina, the winner of the 2022 World Cup, leads the CONMEBOL qualifiers with 9 points, followed by Brazil (7), Colombia (5), Uruguay, Chile and Venezuela (4), Ecuador (3), Paraguay and Peru (1), and Bolivia. 0).
The 2026 World Cup tournament in the United States, Mexico and Canada will be expanded to include 48 teams, meaning direct participation will be given to the top six teams in South America. The seventh-placed team will compete in a playoff for a place in the tournament.
What’s next for Messi?
with Inter Miami Club Outside of the MLS playoff picture, Messi is unlikely to play in Inter Miami’s final two games of the regular season: Wednesday And SaturdayAnd both are against Charlotte FC.
After that, Inter Miami’s two friendlies in China will dominate Messi’s schedule on November 5 and 8. Inter Miami will play Qingdao Hainyu FC in Qingdao, China, on November 5 at the Qingdao Youth Soccer Stadium and Chengdu Rongcheng in Chengdu, China, on November 5. Nov. 8 at Phoenix Hill Sports Park.
Messi is likely to return to the Argentine national team to play two matches against Uruguay on November 16 and Brazil on November 21.
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