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Lionel Messi cracker lifts Miami over Sporting KC into Champions Cup last-16

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Lionel Messi cracker lifts Miami over Sporting KC into Champions Cup last-16


Lionel Messi opened the scoring with a masterful strike in the 19th minute, and Inter Miami beat Sporting Kansas City 3-1 on Tuesday night in the second leg of the Concacaf Champions Cup’s first round.

Luis Suárez and Tadeo Allende also scored as Inter Miami advanced with a 4-1 aggregate to face Jamaica Premier League champion Cavalier FC in the round of 16 on 6 March. Messi also scored in Miami’s 1-0 win at Kansas City in the first leg last Wednesday.

Memo Rodríguez scored for Kansas City – the team’s first goal of 2025.

Miami scored on all three of its first-half shots despite Kansas City getting the majority of opportunities early, with six shots and three on goal.

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Messi slipped a through ball to Suárez, then controlled Suárez’s pass off his chest and rifled it past John Pulskamp into the bottom right corner. Messi also started Miami’s second scoring opportunity with a perfectly placed ball into the path of Jordi Alba, who found Allende for the finish in the 45th minute.

Two minutes later, a misplayed touch by Kansas City’s Jacob Davis led to Suárez’s difficult goal that he bounced past Pulskamp.

“There is this level of quality that guys like Messi, Suarez [bring],” Kansas City coach Peter Vermes said. “They know the moments in the game. They just know them. They operate at such a different level than other players, and they’ve done it at all leagues and levels. … If you let them get ahead of you, the game can open up because with one chance they can break you.”

The 37-year-old Messi, who played every minute in Miami’s first two matches, checked out in the 69th minute on Tuesday. Suárez and veteran Sergio Busquets each played 81 minutes.

Lionel Messi of Inter Miami scores his team’s first goal during the first half of Tuesday night’s game. Photograph: Carmen Mandato/Getty Images

Miami coach Javier Mascherano said he talked to his veterans about managing their minutes throughout the season to keep them healthy.

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That made room for contributions from younger players like the 26-year-old Allende.

“We will try this season to push them as much as we can because we believe in them,” Mascherano said of Miami’s young players. “Obviously, I love to work with the old guys, or the big men, but I know that the young players can give us much.”

Kansas City had plenty of chances with 10 shots and four on goal. Dejan Joveljic appeared to make it 1-1 in the 40th minute, but he was ruled offside.

Rodríguez entered in the 58th minute and scored from outside the box five minutes later.

Kansas City, still trying to find their footing after significant offseason turnover, remain winless in 2025.

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The Fifa Club World Cup trophy was on display at Chase Stadium ahead of the tournament’s start in June.

The tournament, which will feature Inter Miami and European powers Real Madrid and Manchester City, among others, will take place in 11 US cities in an expanded format with 32 teams.

“It’s a privilege to have the trophy here,” said World Cup chief tournament officer Manolo Zubiria, “and for Inter Miami to be the first club that has it here in the US … A lot of excitement building up. The clubs are ready. We’re ready.”

Inter Miami will open the monthlong tournament on 14 June against Al Ahly of Egypt at Hard Rock Stadium, the 65,000-seat home of the NFL’s Miami Dolphins.



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Miami, FL

Tokyo-style Neapolitan pizza is coming to Miami, led by legendary pizzaiolo chef Bun

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Tokyo-style Neapolitan pizza is coming to Miami, led by legendary pizzaiolo chef Bun


If you’re a diehard pizza fanatic in Miami, you’ll soon be able to check another renowned style off your list without leaving home. Arriving in October 2026, Royale Pizza Napoletana will debut at 1680 Meridian Avenue, introducing South Florida to the exceptionally precise world of Tokyo-style Neapolitan pizza. This highly anticipated opening marks the monumental stateside arrival of legendary Japanese pizzaiolo Chef Bun, the mastermind behind Tokyo’s genre-defining concept, Savoy.

RECOMMENDED: Where to find the best pizza in Miami

The restaurant is the brainchild of banking entrepreneur and restaurateur Jess Varughese, the innovator behind Miami’s ultra-exclusive, members-only hotspot, Haiku. After experiencing Chef Bun’s “perfect pizzas” during a trip to Japan, Varughese envisioned bringing this science-driven culinary movement to sunny South Florida. To ensure absolute authenticity, Varughese assembled an elite culinary team. Alongside Chef Bun, the kitchen features Haiku Executive Chef Albert Diaz and Chef Dalila Sabatino, a rising pizzaiola talent praised by Bun who previously trained at Los Angeles’ acclaimed Pizzeria Sei.

Photograph: Courtesy Royale Pizza NapoletanaRoyale Pizza Napoletana

What sets Tokyo-style Neapolitan pizza apart is its rigorous, chemistry-like execution. At Royale, the dough undergoes a meticulous 30+ hour fermentation process. Varughese and his team spent hundreds of hours adjusting the recipe, combining artisan flours with the Autolyse technique and even altering Miami’s water softness to match Japan’s famously soft water. Pizzas are then baked fresh in an 800-degree oven. The resulting crust achieves an ethereal balance of lightness, chewiness, char and crunch. As Varughese notes, having Chef Bun’s 20-plus years of innovation on board elevates the entire culinary game.

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Royale will be fast-casual, yet polished, with seating for 65 guests including a large community table at its center. Staying true to an accessible vibe, the restaurant will operate on a first-come, first-served walk-in basis with no reservations, though takeout and delivery will be available. You’ll order at a main counter from a carefully curated menu featuring antipasti, two pastas, two mains and seven distinct pizzas—including four traditional options and three specials. This is a pizza spot that deserves the hype, so stay up to date on their progress at @royalenapoletana ahead of the official October launch.





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Girl, 12, shot while sitting in parked car in northwest Miami-Dade, deputies say

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Girl, 12, shot while sitting in parked car in northwest Miami-Dade, deputies say


MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. — A 12-year-old girl was shot in the arm after gunfire erupted in a northwest Miami-Dade neighborhood early Tuesday morning, according to the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office.

Deputies said they responded just before 1 a.m. to the area of Northwest 64th Street and Northwest 21st Avenue in the county’s Gladeview area, where they found three vehicles struck by gunfire, including a silver Hyundai.

“The car was parked outside of the residence. It was occupied by three juveniles, so it was the girl and her two siblings that were in the vehicle. The mom was outside of the vehicle at the time, so this could have been a very different outcome,” MDSO Detective Samantha Choon said.

Authorities said Miami-Dade Fire Rescue medics transported the girl to a nearby hospital in stable condition.

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A family member of the victim told Local 10’s Jackie Pascale that the girl is now home and doing OK.

They said neither her siblings nor their mother was injured in the shooting.

According to investigators, no arrests have been made, and detectives have not released any suspect information at this time.

Neighbor Marie Grimes said she was shaken after hearing multiple gunshots.

“I heard the booms — boom, boom, boom, boom — and I said, ‘Oh my God, what’s happening?’” she said. “Maybe five or six, ’cause look at that right there. I’m just glad the little girl is OK.”

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Investigators asked neighbors to check their surveillance or Ring camera footage from around 1 a.m. and contact authorities with any information.

Anyone with information on the shooting is urged to contact Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-8477. Anonymous tips are accepted.

Copyright 2026 by WPLG Local10.com – All rights reserved.





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South Florida mother arrested for leaving daughter chained to fence, police say

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South Florida mother arrested for leaving daughter chained to fence, police say


A Hialeah woman was arrested and charged with child neglect for leaving her 13-year-old daughter chained to her great-grandmother’s fence in the heat with no shoes or water. CBS News Miami’s Abby Dodge reports from the neighborhood where it all happened.



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