FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Lionel Messi may still be sidelined, but Inter Miami has reached the Round of 16 in its Leagues Cup title defense.
Messi’s former Barcelona teammate Jordi Alba had four assists, Paraguayan standout Matias Rojas scored goals in each half, and Inter Miami beat Toronto FC, 4-3, in their Leagues Cup match on Thursday night.
Rojas (3’), Paraguay Olympian Diego Gomez (11’), Uruguayan standout Luis Suarez (20’) and Rojas again (59’) scored for Inter Miami during the match, with a smiling Messi sitting in the stands at Chase Stadium.
Inter Miami’s next match during the tournament – which they won behind Messi’s heroics last year – will be on the road against either the Columbus Crew or Sporting Kansas City, in action on Friday.
However, Inter Miami must sharpen its play if it hopes to continue in Leagues Cup.
Inter Miami’s sloppy play defensively allowed Toronto’s Lorenzo Insigne to score on penalty kicks in the 15th and 41st minutes of the match, resulting in just a 3-2 lead for Miami at halftime.
With a 4-2 lead, it appeared Toronto’s Prince Owusu scored a header in the 79th minute, but the play was ruled an own goal by Inter Miami’s Noah Allen.
Inter Miami prevailed after playing down to 10 men after defender Héctor David Martínez was shown a red card in the 28th minute.
Thankfully, his foul was outside the penalty area, forcing Toronto to settle for a missed free kick blocked by goalie Drake Callender, instead of another penalty kick.
Messi missed his fifth straight match since hurting a right ankle ligament in the Copa America final on July 14, and 10th overall since Messi joined Argentina for the tournament.
Inter Miami has won eight of those matches without their star World Cup winner.
The club leads all MLS teams with 53 points in the standings when league play resumes later this month.
Check out these Leagues Cup highlights from Thursday’s Inter Miami-Toronto match:
Inter Miami vs. Toronto highlights
Own goal helps Toronto trim Miami’s lead: Inter Miami 4, Toronto 3
What appeared as a header by Toronto’s Prince Owusu in the 79th minute, has been ruled an own goal by Inter Miami’s Noah Allen to trim the deficit.
Matias Rojas goal: Inter Miami 4, Toronto 2
The middle of the pitch opened, and Jordi Alba found Matias Rojas again.
Rojas scored his second goal of the game in the 59th minute, and Alba delivered his fourth assist of the match for Inter Miami.
Lorenzo Insigne goal: Inter Miami 3, Toronto 2
Inter Miami’s foul trouble has come back to haunt them again in this match. Jordi Alba was penalized for a foul in the penalty area and Toronto’s Lorenzo Insigne has scored his second penalty kick in the match in the 41st minute.
Lorenzo Insigne misses free kick goal: Inter Miami 3, Toronto 1
If this game wasn’t eventful enough: Inter Miami defender Héctor David Martínez was shown a red card for a foul on Toronto’s Prince Owusu. Inter Miami goalie Drake Callender blocked a free kick by Toronto’s Lorenzo Insigne to keep the score 3-1.
The sequence resulted in a free kick, and not a penalty kick because the foul by Martinez happened just outside the penalty area. Still, Inter Miami will finish this match down to 10 men, instead of 11.
Luis Suarez goal: Inter Miami 3, Toronto 1
Three goals before 20 minutes? Not a bad start at all by Inter Miami. This time, Luis Suarez dribbled around a few defenders after Jordi Alba delivered his third assist in the match in the 20th minute.
Lorenzo Insigne goal: Inter Miami 2, Toronto 1
Toronto is on the board after Lorenzo Insigne converted a penalty kick in the 15th minute of this action-packed contest against Inter Miami.
The penalty came after Inter Miami defender Chelo Weigandt fouled Toronto’s Derrick Etienne Jr.
Diego Gomez goal: Inter Miami 2, Toronto FC 0
Diego Gomez has scored in the 11th minute, and Inter Miami has stormed to a 2-0 lead against Toronto in their Leagues Cup matchup.
Jordi Alba, the lefty, delivered an assist, his second of the game, with his right foot on the play.
Matias Rojas goal: Inter Miami 1, Toronto 0
How about that for a fast start? Inter MIami’s Matias Rojas scored in the third minute to give his side an early 1-0 lead.
How to watch: Inter Miami vs. Toronto FC live stream
The Inter Miami match against Toronto FC will be available via MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.
Is Messi playing tonight?
No, Messi remains out of action due to his right ankle ligament injury sustained during the Copa America final on July 14.
Which team would Inter Miami face in Round of 16?
The winner of the Inter Miami-Toronto match will face the winner of Friday’s match between the Columbus Crew and Sporting Kansas City.
What happened the last time Inter Miami played Toronto?
Thursday’s match will be a rematch between both teams: Inter Miami beat Toronto 3-1 without Messi on July 17.
Leagues Cup games on Thursday, August 8
∎Inter Miami CF vs Toronto FC, 7:30 p.m. ET
∎Tigres vs Club Pachuca, 9 p.m. ET
∎Seattle Sounders vs LA Galaxy, 10:30 p.m. ET
∎San Jose Earthquakes vs. Club Necaxa, 11 p.m. ET
Leagues Cup games on Friday, August 9
∎FC Cincinnati vs Santos Laguna, 7:30 p.m. ET
∎Columbus Crew vs Sporting Kansas City, 7:30 p.m. ET
∎Orlando City SC vs Cruz Azul, 7:30 p.m. ET
∎Philadelphia Union vs CF Montreal, 7:30 p.m. ET
∎New England Revolution vs New York City FC, 7:30 p.m. ET
∎D.C. United vs. Mazatlán, 7:30 p.m. ET
∎Toluca vs Houston Dynamo, 8:30 p.m. ET
∎St. Louis City vs Portland Timbers, 8:30 p.m. ET
∎FC Juarez vs Colorado Rapids, 9:30 p.m. ET
∎Club America vs Atlas, 10 p.m. ET
Leagues Cup results on Wednesday
∎LAFC 2, Austin FC 0
∎Pumas UNAM 2, Vancouver Whitecaps 0
Leagues Cup Dates to Remember
∎Aug. 12-13: Round of 16
∎Aug. 16-17: Quarterfinals
∎Aug. 21: Semifinals