Lionel Messi made a sensational beginning to his career in the United States by scoring the game-winning goal in the nick of time in his first game for Inter Miami on Friday.
Messi earned a free kick right outside the box in the fourth minute of stoppage time in the Leagues Cup match against the Mexican team Cruz Azul. The score was at 1-1 at the time, and the free kick was in the ideal range for Messi to use his famed left foot.
The seven-time winner of the Ballon d’Or looked at where Cruz Azul goalkeeper Andres Gudino was stationed before putting his head down and curving his shot high to the keeper’s right and into the top corner of the goal.
At the DRV PNK Stadium in Miami, which has a capacity of 20,000 people, the audience went absolutely crazy, and several supporters even ran onto the pitch before they were caught by security. In the section of the stadium behind the goal that was populated by the most ardent Miami fans, smoke bombs in the team’s signature pink color detonated.
The city of Miami and Major League Soccer are hoping that the arrival of the Argentine player who won the World Cup and is considered one of the best of all time would revolutionize the sport and propel it into the mainstream in the United States.
If Messi’s first game is any indication, the ex-Barcelona great still has a lot to contribute after all these years.
Even before he scored that magnificent goal, he had appeared sharp and attentive, his touch belying the fact that he had been vacationing on a Caribbean beach with his family until a little over a week earlier.
Sergio Busquets, a Spanish midfielder and Messi’s former teammate at Barcelona, is also accompanying Messi to the United States. Busquets and Messi both entered the game in the 54th minute as part of a triple substitution that also included Josef Martinez of Venezuela. Busquets and Messi both made a great impact after entering the match.
After spending more than two years away from one another, Busquets demonstrated that his legendary, almost telepathic understanding with Messi still exists by passing the ball into the Argentine forward’s foot from a variety of different angles.
But it was Messi’s incredible finish that will live on in the hearts and minds of Inter Miami supporters for a very long time.
It was the very final play of the game, and I was well aware that I needed to score. I really wanted to score so that we wouldn’t have to take any penalties. According to the Argentine, “It was very important for us to get this win, it’s a new tournament, and it’s going to give us confidence moving forward.”
In the Leagues Cup group, both sides get one point for a draw, and the club that emerges victorious from the penalty shootout earns an extra point; nevertheless, Messi ensured that Miami won the match and earned all three points for the victory.
In addition to that, he ensured that the club’s co-owner, David Beckham, had a big smile on his face after the game was over.
“If I’m being really honest, as soon as I watched the free kick that was awarded, I thought to myself that this is the way it’s supposed to finish. The former England midfielder remarked that especially when you have players like Leo and Sergio on the pitch, it is what they generate.
“This should be a very fun night for all of our supporters. All of these people that come down here simply to see Leo go onto the field, let alone perform what he’s done so far. Everyone in this stadium is about to see a dream realized right before their own eyes.
“It’s such a moment for this country, and it’s such a moment for this league,” he remarked.
After his contract with Paris Saint-Germain expired in June, Lionel Messi decided to sign with Miami FC, making the move the most high-profile transfer in the history of the Major League Soccer league.
A number of famous people attended the event, including the all-star basketball player LeBron James, the A-list celebrity Kim Kardashian, and the tennis icon Serena Williams.
A lot of the supporters were wearing replica pink Miami jerseys with the number 10 and Messi’s name printed on the back of them. Others wore Messi masks and placards to show their support.
There was significant dissatisfaction when the lineups were unveiled and Messi was not on the starting lineup. It was obvious that arrangements had been made to commemorate his first starting role as fireworks went out above the grandstands as the referee blew his whistle to begin the match.
In the 44th minute, Miami grabbed the lead against the flow of play with a superb strike from Robert Taylor that was sent low and hit the post on its way out.
Messi and Busquets came in with the advantage still intact, but they were unable to prevent the Mexicans from tying the game as Uriel Antuna scored with a powerful shot in the 65th minute.
Then came Messis’s moment, the ideal way for him to make his debut in front of his new supporters and in his new nation.