NEW DELHI: In his much-anticipated Inter Miami debut, Lionel Messi delivered a spectacular performance by scoring a sensational free kick in the dying moments of the second half. His remarkable goal served as an exclamation point and led his new team to a thrilling 2-1 victory over Cruz Azul in their Leagues Cup opener on Friday.
Despite having only undergone three full training sessions with the team, Messi was brought on as a substitute by Miami. The Mexican visitors, Cruz Azul, put up a strong challenge, and at times, Miami found themselves outplayed during the match in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Even for the Argentine superstar, who recently won the World Cup and secured the Ballon d’Or seven times as the world’s best player, scoring opportunities were relatively scarce.
However, Messi’s brilliance shone through when he earned a free kick himself, positioned about seven yards beyond the penalty area.
With a masterful left-footed strike, he skillfully maneuvered the ball past the defensive wall and goalkeeper Andres Gudino, finding the top left corner of the net. This momentous goal sealed the victory and marked a remarkable start to Messi’s journey with Inter Miami.
That sent a sold-out crowd that included the NBA’s LeBron James, tennis’ Serena Williams and media personality Kim Kardashian into celebration after Miami — which sat in last place in the Eastern Conference entering a month-long break for this tournament — won for the first time in any match since May 23.
Robert Taylor also scored for Miami just before halftime to get the Herons off to an excellent start in a three-team group that also includes Atlanta United, part of a competition that includes all 47 teams from MLS and Liga MX.
Former LA Galaxy winger Uriel Antuna equalized in the 65th minute for Cruz Azul, which led in shots 18-12 overall and eight to six in efforts on target.
Drake Callendar made seven saves for Miami to help them earn all three points, including two very early crucial saves that kept the match level and allowed Taylor to give the Herons the lead.
As the second half started, the 36-year-old Messi joined Miami’s subs in warming up along one of the touchlines to chants of “Mes-si, Mes-si!”
He entered the match in the 54th minute to a standing ovation as part of a triple substitution with fellow new arrival Sergio Busquets and striker Josef Martinez.
After Antuna produced an excellent leveler, Messi was caught offside on one apparent equalizer, and Martinez was in a similar position on another.
But there was nothing wrong with Messi’s long-distance winner, which bent around the defensive wall in a way former England star turned Miami co-owner David Beckham made famous.
(With inputs from Reuters)
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