Leo Messi and Inter Miami are on the brink after losing to Vancouver Whitecaps (2-0) in the first leg of the ConcaChampions semifinals, played in Canada, and will now need to pull off a practically impossible comeback at Chase Stadium if they want to avoid falling one step short of the long-awaited final.

Messi clashed with a former Boca Juniors player

It was undoubtedly an extremely frustrating game for Inter Miami, as they dominated possession for the full 90 minutes… but barely created any real chances. In fact, goalkeeper Yohei Takaoka only had to make two saves the entire match—both from long-range shots by Leo Messi that posed little danger.

Messi himself appeared visibly frustrated throughout the game… due to the tight marking he received from Andrés Cubas, who played for Boca Juniors between 2014 and 2018 before joining Vancouver Whitecaps in 2022. Things escalated shortly after Brian White scored the game’s opening goal, as both players confronted each other. Tensions remained high between them for the rest of the match… though neither was booked.

The record Inter Miami must break to pull off a comeback

What Messi endured reflected the frustration felt by Inter Miami throughout the match, as the Vancouver Whitecaps will head to Miami with a strong advantage after doubling their lead five minutes before the final whistle. It’s not the first time Inter Miami has found themselves in a similar position during this ConcaChampions campaign. However, this time they’ll need to stage a truly improbable comeback, as Vancouver Whitecaps haven’t lost by three goals in a single game since Jesper Sorensen took over as head coach.

Still, Javier Mascherano believes they can turn things around at Chase Stadium, just like they did against LAFC, and lead Inter Miami to their first-ever ConcaChampions final: “We need to learn from this night as a team and find a way to bounce back on Wednesday. We lost today, and I take full responsibility. I still believe in this team. We have nothing to lose. We need to win the game—we know we must score at least two goals and not concede. We’ll go for it. The pressure is on Vancouver.”