Messi and Alba Dismantle RBNY as Inter Miami Bounce Back
After a good stretch of dominant form, Inter Miami finally tasted defeat in a 3-0 loss to FC Cincinnati. While that result came as a surprise and was their first since their Club World Cup exit, it marked the end of a strong run and served as a reminder that they are still vulnerable. Red Bull New York entered this fixture off the back of a thrilling 5-3 comeback win over New England Revolution, overcoming a 2-0 halftime deficit. That victory was powered by standout displays from Eric Choupo-Moting and Emil Forsberg, who both scored twice to energize the crowd at Red Bull Arena.
Neither side is particularly known for defensive discipline, so the matchup shaped up as a battle between attacking flair. The spotlight was firmly on Messi and Choupo-Moting, both in excellent scoring form.
The opening minutes were riddled with sloppy play from Inter Miami. Trying to play out from the back, they moved the ball too slowly and repeatedly gave it away under pressure. RBNY pressed aggressively and nearly capitalized a few times before winning a corner in the 14th minute. Forsberg swung it in, and Alexander Hack bundled it over the line to give the home side an early lead.
But Messi was always going to have his say. In the 24th minute, he cut in from the right and slid a familiar pass to Jordi Alba, who finished coolly. Three minutes later, Messi went aerial with a similar ball. Alba got on the end of it again, pulled it back across goal, and Telasco Segovia slotted home for a quickfire turnaround.
At the 30-minute mark, the referee called for a water break. RBNY needed it more than anyone, hoping to regain composure after conceding twice in under four minutes. However, Forsberg and Choupo-Moting remained quiet. Red Bull couldn’t create anything unless Inter Miami gave the ball away, and when they did win it back, they failed to do much with it.
Just before halftime, Alba sent another ball into the area that caused chaos in the Red Bulls defense. Failed tackles and poor clearances led to the ball falling at Segovia’s feet, and he curled a low effort into the far corner. It was a stunning first-half comeback from Inter Miami, flipping the same script RBNY had written just days earlier. The visitors led 3-1 at the break.
As the second half began, a pitch invader briefly delayed play, a regular occurrence wherever Messi plays. Once things resumed, RBNY tried to push forward and got Forsberg more involved. They earned a free kick and a corner, but nothing came of it.
In the 60th minute, Sergio Busquets threaded a perfect through ball that left Messi one-on-one with the keeper. He rounded him with ease and tapped into an open net to make it 4-1. That goal restarted his run of goal scoring form, which had been interrupted by Cincinnati.
Red Bull struggled to respond and looked out of ideas. In the 75th minute, Alba found Benjamin Cremaschi, who helped the ball along to Luis Suárez. Suárez whipped in a beautiful left-footed cross that found Messi in stride. He chested it down and buried his second goal of the night with authority. That made it six braces in his last seven matches.
RBNY had no answer. Choupo-Moting and Forsberg were shut out, unable to influence the match. Inter Miami, led by the chemistry of Messi and Alba, responded to their midweek defeat with a confident, ruthless display on both ends of the pitch.
By: Jahvon Barrett / @JahvonBarrett
Featured Image: @GabFoligno / Joe Allison / Getty Images