TEENAGE Hadebe’s latest battle against Lionel Messi ended in heartbreak.
Inter Miami scored a last-gasp goa to secure a thrilling 2-2 draw against Cincinnati in Major League Soccer yesterday.
Young Brazilian Riquelme Fillipi struck in the 90th minute for a share of the spoils.
Hadebe and the Argentine World Cup-winnig skipper have established a very good personal relationship and they swapped jerseys at the end o the match.
Luis Suárez gave the home side the lead with a stunning strike, before FC Cincinnati turned the score around by scoring two consecutive goals in the 80th and 86th minutes.
Just when defeat seemed imminent, Riquelme Fillipi emerged in the final moments to secure a point for his team, in a match where Messi was unable to leave his usual mark.
he early minutes saw few clear chances as both teams struggled with attacking effectiveness and made repeated errors, while Messi suffered from tight defensive marking that limited his threat throughout the match.
Hadebe and his colleagues were quite brilliant in terms of shutting out Messi.
The Inter Miami captain attempted to threaten the opponent’s goal with a shot from outside the box after half an hour, but it hit one of the defenders.
Then, Brazilian Evander unleashed a long-range shot in the closing minutes of the first half, which went over the crossbar.
In the 61st minute, Inter Miami managed to crack FC Cincinnati’s defence.
Rodrigo De Paul sent the ball to the left side, where it reached Casemiro, who passed it directly into the penalty area towards Suárez.
The Uruguayan forward skillfully handled the ball before unleashing a curled shot with his right foot that settled into the top corner of the net, putting the home side ahead by one goal.
Suárez, aged 39, has raised his tally to 16 goals in 28 matches this season, confirming his ability to make a difference and regaining some of the outstanding levels he showcased during his career with FC Barcelona and Liverpool.
In the 80th minute, Frenchman Kévin Mbouma brought the match back to square one, unleashing a powerful and precise shot from the right side of the penalty area.
Then, six minutes later, Ghanaian Samuel Gidi dealt another blow to Inter Miami by scoring FC Cincinnati’s second goal with a long-range shot that put the visiting team on the brink of victory. – Sports Reporter/YScores
