Argentinian Lionel Messi made his debut for Inter Miami at dawn this Saturday and scored the winning goal against the Mexican team of Cruz Azul with a direct free kick, already in stoppage time.
Messi, who started on the bench, came on for Benjamin Cremaschi in the second half, in the 54th minute of the match which took place at Inter Miami’s DRV PNK Stadium in Fort Laudardale on loan and ended with the American club winning 2-1.
After Robert Taylor scored in the 44th minute, for Inter Miami, and the Mexicans equalized in the second half, in the 65th, with a goal from Uriel Antuna, Messi closed the scoring in the 90+4th minute, with a goal that resulted from a free kick.
“It was a very good game from our side. The truth is that we wanted to start like this, give these people a victory. Thank you to everyone who was there today. We knew it was important to win this championship and luckily we succeeded,” Messi said in statements to Apple TV+ after the game, which was witnessed by some 21,000 spectators.
For his part, coach Tata Martino, also Argentinian, was clearly pleased: “It’s a movie we’ve seen before. It’s just for him. It looked completely normal, but it’s not… we’re talking about the GOAT (greatest of all time)”.
With the captain’s armband and the number 10 on his back, the 36-year-old former player of Paris Saint-Germain and FC Barcelona entered the field at the same time as Spaniard Sergio Busquets, another Inter Miami signing.
As he warmed up during the interval, the Argentine striker heard his name repeatedly chanted from the stands, approached the fourth official with a smile before finally making his debut for the Americans.
Messi’s new team received Cruz Azul on the day the Leagues Cup started, a new tournament in which all teams from Major League Soccer (MLS), the most important soccer championship in the United States, and Liga MX, Mexico’s first soccer division, participate.
Inter Miami faces the Leagues Cup with the urgency to correct its course as it is in last place in the MLS East (Eastern Conference), with only 18 points in 22 games, collecting 11 games without winning (three draws and eight losses).
Highlights, in the stands, for attendees such as basketball player LeBron James, of the Los Angeles Lakers, tennis player Serena Williams or influencer Kim Kardashian.
Source: DN
