Griezmann doesn't know how it feels to be Uruguayan: Suarez

Luis Suarez grabbed a stoppage-time equaliser after Lionel Messi had reduced the deficit as Inter Miami fought back from two goals down to draw 2-2 in the first leg of their CONCACAF Champions Cup round-of-16 tie on Thursday.

Canadian winger Jacob Shaffelburg had put Nashville 2-0 up with a pair of superbly taken goals before Miami's comeback.

The goals from the former Barcelona forwards, who had scored a brace each in the 5-0 win over Orlando on Saturday, make Miami favourites for Wednesday's return in South Florida with a place in the quarter-finals on the line.

Miami had beaten Nashville on penalties in the final of the Leagues Cup last season and returned for the debuts in regional competition of Messi, Busquets and Suarez.

Coach Gerardo 'Tata' Martino handed a debut to new Argentine signing Federico Redondo in midfield but was without Spaniard Jordi Alba, suffering from illness.

But Miami were soon reeling after Nashville's Shaq Moore broke through from midfield and fed Shaffelburg who blasted past Drake Callender with a left-foot drive from the edge of the box.

The Canadian, with the distinctive mullet haircut, doubled the lead two minutes after the interval with an even better finish, cutting in from the left before unleashing an unstoppable shot with his right foot high into the far top corner.

Miami responded strongly though and six minutes later Messi had pulled a goal back with a trademark left-footed curler.

Suarez set him up on the edge of the box and despite having four defenders in close proximity, the Argentine World Cup-winner found space to work the ball on to his left foot and then find the corner.

Suarez equaliser 

Miami had an effort from Diego Gomez disallowed for offside but Nashville weren't ready to set their backs against the wall just yet.

Moore cut in from the right and beat Callender to send the 26,000 crowd wild but a VAR review found that Moore had been narrowly offside from earlier in the move and the goal was disallowed.

But then deep in stoppage time, the ball was fed out to Busquets on the right and the Spanish veteran floated in a cross which was headed home by Suarez.

Earlier, Monterrey's USA striker Brandon Vazquez scored on his return to his former club Cincinnati as the Mexican club enjoyed a 1-0 win in their CONCACAF Champions Cup, round of 16, first-leg tie on Thursday.

Cincinnati, who won the Supporters' Shield for the best regular season record in Major League Soccer last season, had started brightly and had the ball in the net in the 18th minute but Corey Baird's effort was ruled out for offside.

Six minutes later though, the Liga MX team were ahead and it was the former home favourite Vazquez who produced the breakthrough.

Maximiliano Mesa found the forward in the box and his right-foot effort crept under the body of Cincinnati keeper Roman Celentano, who should have done much better.

It was Vazquez's seventh goal in 11 appearances since joining the five-times CONCACAF champions in and will strengthen his case for inclusion in Gregg Berhalter's USA squad for the upcoming Nations League Final Four.

Monterrey were reduced to ten men in the 70th minute when a VAR review ruled that Rodrigo Aguirre had struck Baird, off the ball, before a corner.

With their numerical advantage for the final 20 minutes, Cincinnati piled on the pressure but Monterrey keeper Esteban Andrada kept out a Sergio Santos effort after good work from Luciano Acosta.

France's 2018 World Cup-winning star Antoine Griezmann on Monday announced his retirement from international football, bringing to an end a 10-year career with his country.

"It is with a heart full of memories that I am closing this chapter of my life," France vice-captain Griezmann, 33, wrote on X.

The Atletico Madrid forward made his France debut in March 2014 and has gone on to win 137 caps, a figure beaten only by his former teammate Hugo Lloris (145) and 1998 World Cup winner Lilian Thuram (142).

Griezmann is also fourth in France's list of all-time leading goal-scorers with 44, behind only record marksman Olivier Giroud, Thierry Henry and current captain Kylian Mbappe.

He scored in France's 4-2 win over Croatia in the final of the 2018 World Cup in Moscow, having previously helped his country reach the final of Euro 2016, a tournament he ended as top scorer with six goals.

Griezmann was also outstanding for Les Bleus on their run to the 2022 World Cup final, which they lost on penalties to Argentina in Qatar.

His last major tournament will be remembered less fondly, as neither he nor his team found their best form at Euro 2024 despite making it to the semi-finals.

Griezmann's last appearance for France came in a UEFA Nations League win at home to Belgium earlier this month.

The striker's decision to quit is further confirmation that an era has come to an end for the French side.

Lloris and centre-back Raphael Varane both retired from international duty in the wake of the 2022 World Cup, with the latter quitting football entirely last week at the age of just 31.

Giroud stopped playing for his country in the wake of this year's Euros in Germany.

Coach Didier Deschamps will name his next France squad this Thursday ahead of Nations League matches against Israel in Budapest on October 10 and Belgium in Brussels four days later.

Uruguay icon Luis Suarez announced his retirement from international football on Monday, confirming that he will hang up his boots following Friday's 2026 World Cup qualifier against Paraguay in Montevideo.

"Friday will be my last match for my country," an emotional Suarez, 37, told a press conference.

"It was not an easy decision to make, but I do it with the peace of mind that I will give my maximum until the very last game of my (Uruguay) career."

The former Barcelona and Liverpool striker is widely regarded as one of the greatest players of his generation and will retire from international football as Uruguay's top scorer with 69 goals from 142 appearances.

Suarez, who was infamously kicked out of the 2014 World Cup after being handed a four-month ban for biting Italy's Giorgio Chiellini, made his debut for Uruguay in 2007.

The Inter Miami forward helped Uruguay capture the 2011 Copa America, where he was named player of the tournament, and would eventually represent the South American country in nine major tournaments.

Suarez said Monday that inspiring Uruguay to that Copa crown had been the highpoint of his career.

"I wouldn't trade the Copa America title for anything," he said. "It was the best moment of my career. I wouldn't trade it for anything."

A dynamic, skilful attacker with a lethal eye for goal, Suarez was also never far from controversy.

As well as the biting incident that ended his involvemment in the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, he was also one of the villains of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, when his cynical handball on the goal-line denied Ghana what would have been a late winner in the quarter-finals.

Suarez was sent off for that offence and Ghana subsequently missed the ensuing penalty, allowing Uruguay to sneak into the semi-finals after a penalty shoot-out.

Controversy also dogged Suarez throughout his club career, notably in 2011 when he was handed an eight-game ban by authorities in England for allegedly racially abusing Manchester United's France star Patrice Evra.

Suarez would later help Uruguay qualify for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, and also featured in this summer's Copa America where he was used largely as a substitute by coach Marcelo Bielsa. He scored his 69th international goal in a third place play-off victory over Canada.

Croatian media on Monday hailed their team as heroes after the small country's historic success in reaching the World Cup final where France beat them 4-2.

"Thank you, heroes! - You gave us everything!" read the Sportske Novosti frontpage.

"'Vatreni' (the "Fiery Ones" in Croatian), you are the biggest, you are our pride, your names will remain written in gold forever!" the newspaper said.

It showed a photo of captain Luka Modric who was awarded the Golden Ball for the best player at the tournament, holding a trophy, although with a sad face after the defeat.

"Brave hearts - You made us proud," said Jutarnji List daily.

"Croatia celebrates you, you are our gold!" echoed the Vecernji List.

It noted that for the past month coach Zlatko Dalic's team "made Croatia better".

"They restored pride, pulled it out of the pessimism" reigning in the country whose economy remains among the weakest in the European Union.

More than 100,000 red-and-white-painted Croatian fans were expected to welcome the squad home later Monday in the capital Zagreb.

French star Antoine Griezmann has extended his contract with Atletico Madrid by a year, the Spanish club announced on Tuesday.

Griezmann's contract now runs until June 30, 2022, and ends rumours linking him with a move away from Atletico.

"The first thing that I want to do is apologise to the people who misunderstood my statements," the 26-year-old said.

"Maybe I expressed myself badly or someone wanted to make news where there wasn't any, but since I came, I have given my all for my club, my teammates and my coaching staff, and I'm very happy to live one more season with all of you."

Griezmann arrived in Atletico in 2014 for 30 million euros from Real Sociedad, where he started his career in 2009.

He has scored 83 goals in 160 games for Atletico, with whom he reached the Champions League final in 2016.

Atletico's sporting director Jose Luis Perez Caminero dubbed the contract extension "great news because he is one of the best players in the world".

"Antoine is a different football player, capable of changing a match, with spectacular qualities, a very complete player."