Inter Miami head coach Javier Mascherano was full of praise for Luis Suarez after the striker’s stellar performance against Pumas UNAM.
Suarez starred in Miami's 3-1 comeback victory on Wednesday, assisting Rodrigo De Paul and Tadeo Allende either side of a goal from the penalty spot to help Mascherano's team qualify for the knockout stage of the Leagues Cup.
The 38-year-old spearheaded the attack in the absence of Lionel Messi, who missed the match with a hamstring injury, and did so by leading the team for shots (six) and touches in the opposition box (six) while also creating the second-most chances (three).
Mascherano was happy to see Suarez back on the scoresheet for the first time since facing Palmeiras in the Club World Cup at the end of June.
“I’m happy for Luis, because we were talking last week about how difficult it is for a striker when they don't score goals,” said Mascherano.
“Today, for me, he had a very, very good performance, not just for the goal, but because of the assists, the movement, all the things that he gives to the team.”
Mascherano was also thrilled to see how Miami stepped up despite being shorn of eight-time Ballon d'Or winner Messi.
He said: “I'm very grateful, because I know that they work hard. Sometimes, as I told before, things can [be] going well, and sometimes can [be] going wrong, but at the end, you have to see how they try to do the things, and they try to help all the time their team-mates, the team, to me also.
“They are very, very clever, so they know what we need in every single moment. Today, we asked Busi [Sergio Busquets] to play in a [midfield] line of three in the second half, and it was very, very quick, the change.
“You don't need to look to the bench. You can change, sometimes, some pieces with the same players.
“This is because we have excellent players with a lot of quality, but also because they are trying all the time to do their best.”
Messi provided two assists in Miami’s Leagues Cup opener against Atlas before suffering the hamstring injury in their second match against Necaxa.
Allende, the scorer of Miami’s third goal against Pumas, is eager to see Messi return swiftly.
“We feel it quite a bit, obviously, because he [Messi] ends the plays, he starts the plays, and he’s the one who has the last pass,” Allende told Apple TV.
“But I think we knew how to handle it well, and we anxiously await him getting back on the pitch.
“Qualifying [for the knockouts] is a very important step for us. Let's see how we work and analyse our next opponents; this is step by step.”
