Fort Lauderdale, Aug 7 (AP) Luis Suárez made a striking impact with a goal and two assists, leading Inter Miami to a 3-1 victory over Pumas on Wednesday night, securing their spot in the Leagues Cup knockout stage.
Miami achieved this feat despite the absence of star player Lionel Messi, who is sidelined due to what the team describes as a minor muscle injury in his right leg.
Messi sustained the injury during the early minutes of Inter Miami's win over Necaxa on Saturday and was present for the game, observing from a suite at Chase Stadium.
Inter Miami, accumulating eight points in the Major League Soccer Leagues Cup standings, is the first MLS team to progress to the tournament's knockout rounds.
Rodrigo De Paul, who joined MLS to play alongside his national team friend Messi, netted his inaugural goal for Inter Miami with a timely assist from Suárez in the 45th minute, equalizing after Pumas' Jorge Ruvalcaba scored in the 34th minute.
De Paul, the standout Argentine midfielder, debuted for the club in Inter Miami’s Leagues Cup opener against Atlas last Wednesday, where he provided two assists in the match against Necaxa.
Suárez then put Inter Miami ahead 2-1 by successfully converting a penalty kick in the 59th minute, following a handball offense by Pumas defender José Caicedo within the penalty area.
This marked Suárez’s first goal since his contribution in Inter Miami’s Club World Cup match against Palmeiras on June 23.
Tadeo Allende concluded the scoring by converting Suárez's second assist of the night in the 69th minute.
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