Messi and Suarez lead Inter Miami into Champions Cup last 16

Inter Miami defeated Sporting Kansas City 3-1 on Tuesday in the second leg of the CONCACAF Champions Cup first round (4-1 on aggregate) with a magical goal from Lionel Messi and another from Luis Suárez.

The Argentine star, who scored the only goal in the first leg, once again paved the way to victory in Fort Lauderdale with a stunning volley in the 19th minute.

Inter secured their qualification to the round of 16 with two goals in first-half stoppage time, scored by Argentine Tadeo Allende in the 45+1 minute and Pistolero Suárez in the 45+3 minute.

American Guillermo "Memo" Rodriguez pulled one back for the visitors with a long-range shot in the 63rd minute.

"We are very happy for the win. We went out from the first minute to get them and we were able to get the win on track in the first half, although in the second half we lacked a little more control," Spanish defender Jordi Alba acknowledged.

Javier Mascherano's team will face Caribbean Cup champions Cavalier of Jamaica in the round of 16, with the first match scheduled to take place in Florida in the first week of March.

In its second appearance in CONCACAF's premier tournament, Inter is eager to shake off the disappointment of its elimination last year in the quarterfinals against Monterrey.

Against Sporting, Inter Miami was in control of the tie in both the first leg, played in temperatures below -15ºC, and on Tuesday night at Chase Stadium.

A few hours before the clash, Messi was fined an unspecified amount for an unusual incident in Saturday's MLS opener, where he grabbed a New York City assistant coach by the back of the neck after the game had already concluded.

Back on the pitch, La Pulga wasted no time in getting Inter back on track with a stunning goal. The Argentine initiated a counter-attack, opening up on the left for Suárez to run onto. Suárez returned a cross that Messi controlled with his chest, allowed it to bounce, and then finished it off with a fantastic left-footed shot into the net.

LAFC advances against Colorado

In stoppage time, the second home goal came from the left flank as Jordi Alba delivered a precise cross, which was finished off by Tadeo Allende, one of Inter's reinforcements for this season.

Before halftime, Luis Suárez delivered the knockout blow to Kansas City with a great individual effort, using his body to secure a rebound from the opposing defense and scoring off-balance with a half-volley.

In the second half, Memo Rodríguez salvaged some pride for Sporting by scoring with a long-range shot that deflected off Uruguayan Maximiliano Falcón, unnerving Argentine goalkeeper Oscar Ustari.

With the tie settled, Mascherano made an early substitution, taking Messi out in the 68th minute.

On Tuesday's matchday, another crucial game between U.S. teams was decided as Los Angeles FC (LAFC) qualified for the round of 16 with a 1-0 win over Colorado Rapids, thanks to a goal from Mexican-American Mark Delgado in the 49th minute.

The tie ended 2-2 on aggregate, but the Los Angeles team advanced due to a higher number of away goals.

LAFC, which featured French stars Hugo Lloris and Olivier Giroud, will face Columbus Crew in the round of 16.

--First-round second legs to be played this week (results of first-leg games in brackets and qualifiers for the round of 16 in capital letters):

Tuesday:

In Fort Lauderdale: INTER MIAMI (USA) - Sporting Kansas City 3-1 (1-0)

In Los Angeles: LOS ANGELES FC (USA) - Colorado Rapids (USA) 1-0 (1-2)

Wednesday:

In Cincinnati: FC Cincinnati (USA) - Motagua (HON) (4-1)

In Sandy: Real Salt Lake (USA) - Real Salt Lake (USA) (0-0)

In Seattle: Seattle Sounders (USA) - Antigua GFC (GUA) (3-1)

Thursday:

In Vancouver: Vancouver Whitecaps (CAN) - Deportivo Saprissa (CRC) (1-2)