'Even in the last minutes, he helped any way he could'
Veteran playmaker Messi curled in a superb free-kick at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, sealing the win with a man-of-the-match performance in the Group A clash against the Portuguese giants.
Inter Miami manager Javier Mascherano has admitted he is surprised by Lionel Messi's enduring desire to win, after the MLS side pulled off a shock 2–1 victory over Porto at the Club World Cup on Thursday.
Veteran playmaker Messi curled in a superb free-kick at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, sealing the win with a man-of-the-match performance in the Group A clash against the Portuguese giants.
Mascherano said it wasn't Messi's quality — well established over a career that includes eight Ballon d'Or titles — that surprised him, but rather his unrelenting competitive spirit at the age of 37.
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"Beyond the goal… he's a player who shows us how to compete — his hunger, his desire to keep going, to keep competing at any level," Mascherano told reporters.
"Football-wise, what more is there to say? He's the best player in the history of the sport. But what continues to amaze is his will to win.
"Even in the final minutes — tired, carrying a knock — he kept pushing, helping the team in any way he could, in attack, in defence, to secure the result.
"We know having him gives us an edge, but more than anything, it's his contagious spirit — that winning mentality he brings."
Few expected Inter Miami to get a result against Porto, but the American side recorded the first-ever competitive win by an MLS team against European opposition — the tournament's first major upset.
"I think we understood that in football there are always hierarchies, and we were up against a top-level side full of international players," Mascherano said.
"But we believed that if we stuck to our plan, supported each other, played as a unit — and most importantly, dared to play — we could compete."
Porto had taken the lead in the first half through a penalty converted by Samu Aghehowa, but Inter Miami responded after the break with goals from Telasco Segovia and Messi, putting them level on four points with Palmeiras at the top of the group.
"At half-time, I told the players to lift their heads," added Mascherano. "We had already shown we could compete, and at that point, I wasn't concerned about the result.
"What mattered to me was proving that we could play — both with and without the ball. They took that message on board, they responded, and in the end, it turned into a fantastic afternoon for us."
