<p><a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/lionel-messi">Lionel Messi's</a> second goal of the night, an 84th-minute penalty kick, capped Inter Miami's 3-1 win over Los Angeles FC on Wednesday in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., sending the Herons to the semifinals of the CONCACAF Champions Cup.</p><p>Inter Miami won the two-leg, total-goal semifinal series 3-2, rallying after LAFC earned a 1-0 home victory last week.</p><p>Los Angeles went up 2-0 on aggregate when Aaron Long scored in the ninth minute, but goals from Messi in the 35th minute and Noah Allen -- off a Messi assist -- in the 61st leveled the series 2-2.</p><p>A video review led to a handball call against Mark Delgado, setting up the decisive penalty kick. Messi calmly kicked the ball into the top right corner.</p>.Champions League 2025 quarter-final: Late goal against Villa a tie changer for dominant PSG.<p>Early on, a scramble in the Miami penalty area following a corner kick saw the ball fall to Long, who fired in a right-footed volley from 10 yards out.</p><p>Messi took a pass near the top of the LAFC 18-yard box, dribbled wide of a defender and knocked home a left-footed shot for his first goal of the night.</p><p>After the hour mark, Allen took a pass from Messi outside the Los Angeles penalty area and chipped the ball toward the net. The ball eluded everyone and bounced into the net.</p><p>Inter Miami's opponent in the two-legged semifinal will be either the Vancouver Whitecaps or Pumas UNAM. The latter two teams were set to conclude their quarterfinal series later Wednesday night in Mexico City.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/lionel-messi">Lionel Messi's</a> second goal of the night, an 84th-minute penalty kick, capped Inter Miami's 3-1 win over Los Angeles FC on Wednesday in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., sending the Herons to the semifinals of the CONCACAF Champions Cup.</p><p>Inter Miami won the two-leg, total-goal semifinal series 3-2, rallying after LAFC earned a 1-0 home victory last week.</p><p>Los Angeles went up 2-0 on aggregate when Aaron Long scored in the ninth minute, but goals from Messi in the 35th minute and Noah Allen -- off a Messi assist -- in the 61st leveled the series 2-2.</p><p>A video review led to a handball call against Mark Delgado, setting up the decisive penalty kick. Messi calmly kicked the ball into the top right corner.</p>.Champions League 2025 quarter-final: Late goal against Villa a tie changer for dominant PSG.<p>Early on, a scramble in the Miami penalty area following a corner kick saw the ball fall to Long, who fired in a right-footed volley from 10 yards out.</p><p>Messi took a pass near the top of the LAFC 18-yard box, dribbled wide of a defender and knocked home a left-footed shot for his first goal of the night.</p><p>After the hour mark, Allen took a pass from Messi outside the Los Angeles penalty area and chipped the ball toward the net. The ball eluded everyone and bounced into the net.</p><p>Inter Miami's opponent in the two-legged semifinal will be either the Vancouver Whitecaps or Pumas UNAM. The latter two teams were set to conclude their quarterfinal series later Wednesday night in Mexico City.</p>