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Messi-less Defending Champ Miami Wins Leagues Cup Opener

Luis Suárez of Inter Miami dribbles between defenders during the defending Leagues Cup champions' 2-0 victory over Puebla of Mexico - AFP
Luis Suárez of Inter Miami dribbles between defenders during the defending Leagues Cup champions' 2-0 victory over Puebla of Mexico - AFP
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Messi-less Defending Champ Miami Wins Leagues Cup Opener

Luis Suárez of Inter Miami dribbles between defenders during the defending Leagues Cup champions' 2-0 victory over Puebla of Mexico - AFP
Luis Suárez of Inter Miami dribbles between defenders during the defending Leagues Cup champions' 2-0 victory over Puebla of Mexico - AFP

Defending champion Inter Miami, playing without injured star Lionel Messi, blanked Mexico's Puebla 2-0 at home on Saturday to begin defending their Leagues Cup crown.

Paraguay's Matias Rojas opened the scoring in the ninth minute and Uruguayan striker Luis Suarez added an insurance goal in the 72nd minute to deliver Inter Miami's triumph.

Miami was without Argentine striker Messi, who is still recovering from a left ankle injury suffered two weeks ago in Argentina's victory over Colombia in the Copa America final, according to AFP.

Messi, who sparked Miami to the Leagues Cup title just after his arrival last year, missed two Inter Miami MLS regular-season matches and the MLS All-Star Game three nights ago.

The Leagues Cup sends MLS clubs and Mexico's Liga MX teams into a World Cup-style tournament with three-team groups where two clubs advance to knockout rounds.

Miami faces Mexican side Tigres next Saturday in its other group-stage match.

In Saturday's other group openers, Mexico's Atlas blanked Houston 1-0, New England beat Mazatlan 1-0, Philadelphia edged Charlotte 1-0 and Toronto beat the New York Bulls 5-4 on penalties after playing to a goal-less draw.

US midfielder Jack Panayotou scored in the 69th minute to boost New England to victory while Israeli striker Tai Baribo scored in the 33rd minute to give Philadelphia a triumph and Mexican defender Jose Lozano netted the winning goal for Atlas in the 83rd minute.

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Russell Holds Off Hamilton for Mercedes 1-2 at F1 Belgian Grand Prix

(From L) Mercedes' British driver Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes' British driver George Russell and McLaren's Australian driver Oscar Piastri pose on the podium after the Formula One Belgian Grand Prix at the Spa-Francorchamps Circuit in Spa on July 28, 2024. (Photo by JOHN THYS / AFP)
(From L) Mercedes' British driver Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes' British driver George Russell and McLaren's Australian driver Oscar Piastri pose on the podium after the Formula One Belgian Grand Prix at the Spa-Francorchamps Circuit in Spa on July 28, 2024. (Photo by JOHN THYS / AFP)
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Russell Holds Off Hamilton for Mercedes 1-2 at F1 Belgian Grand Prix

(From L) Mercedes' British driver Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes' British driver George Russell and McLaren's Australian driver Oscar Piastri pose on the podium after the Formula One Belgian Grand Prix at the Spa-Francorchamps Circuit in Spa on July 28, 2024. (Photo by JOHN THYS / AFP)
(From L) Mercedes' British driver Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes' British driver George Russell and McLaren's Australian driver Oscar Piastri pose on the podium after the Formula One Belgian Grand Prix at the Spa-Francorchamps Circuit in Spa on July 28, 2024. (Photo by JOHN THYS / AFP)

George Russell led a Mercedes one-two with Lewis Hamilton at the Belgian Grand Prix after pulling off an audacious one-stop strategy and keeping his teammate at bay to add to a thrilling Formula 1 season on Sunday.
Russell claimed his second win of the season and the third of the British driver’s career after nursing his tires in expert fashion over the 44-lap race while all the rest of the top cars stopped twice, The Associated Press reported.
“Amazing result, definitely didn’t predict that this morning,” Russell said. “But the race was awesome and the tires just felt great. I just kept saying ‘I think we can do the one stop’.”
Hamilton finished ahead of McLaren’s Oscar Piastri in third.
Points leader Max Verstappen crossed fifth behind Ferrari's Charles Leclerc after Verstappen started from 11th following a 10-place grid penalty for using one too many engines in his Red Bull.
Lando Norris endured another poor start and finished sixth, allowing Verstappen to extend his championship lead to 78 points.
Russell was not expected to be in the mix for the win after he started from sixth. But he told his team that he felt confident that he could milk his tires for all they were worth and forego a second, time-consuming, pit stop.
That proved to be a brilliant decision.
Russell looked like he would be caught by Hamilton and other drivers on fresher tires, but he defended his position over the nail-biting final laps with Piastri lurking in case the teammates clashed.