Unconvincing Inter Miami manage shaky victory over Jamaican Premier League side Cavalier SC in CONCACAF Champions Cup without Lionel Messi available

Inter Miami defeated Jamaican Premier League side Cavalier SC 2-0 in the CONCACAF Champions Cup Thursday night, without Lionel Messi. The Argentine superstar missed the match - again - due to load management, but the Herons took game one in their two-legged affair in unconvincing fashion.

The two sides went into the halftime break at a stalemate, but that's not to say there weren't chances. Midway through the first half, Cavalier hit the post via a deflected shot, and during first half-stoppage time they even found the back of the net - only for VAR, after a lengthy review, to take it away due to a very close offsides call in the buildup.

Minutes into the second half, Miami were dealt their first blow after defender Maxi Falcon was removed with a lower leg injury. In the 61st minute, the Herons were given life with their first real attempt of the match.

Winger Tadeo Allende opened the scoring after a chaotic sequence in the box - two initial attempts were cleared off the line before he could slot home. Then, with eight minutes to spare in regulation, they doubled their lead through Luis Suarez, who capitalized off a defensive error to go up 2-0.

The two teams will return to the pitch next Thursday for leg 2 in Kingston, Jamaica at the National Stadium. The winner of the contest will advance to the quarterfinals.

Coming into the match, Cavalier had never won a CONCACAF Champions Cup match, and had never scored a goal in the competition.

Tadeo Allende: The Miami attacker scored for the third-straight game across all competitions, bagging their opening goal. It wasn't pretty by any means, but he was in the right place at the right time and was able to slot home in low-driven fashion to give Miami the advantage heading into the second leg in Jamaica.

Javier Mascherano: The Inter Miami manager was out-coached by his opposition, and had no answer for the counter-attack. Without Messi, there was a lack of structure in their attack, and their midfield struggled to retain possession while progressing into the final-third, rather than retreating with the ball into their own half.

A win is a win, but this was not a good tactical showing from Miami in front of their home fans.

Miami returns to the pitch in MLS this weekend on Matchday 3 when they host Charlotte FC in a clash between two of the best in the Eastern Conference.