Lionel Messi started his Inter Miami career in dramatic fashion, offering yet another memorable moment in a career full of them
It was always going to be like this. Of course, Lionel Messi would come on in the second half. Of course, he would get a chance to take a last-minute free kick with the game on the line. Of course, he would find that one sliver of net out of reach of the opposing goalkeeper. And, of course, it would hand Inter Miami a 2-1 win.
Here was the debut of dreams, the perfect introduction to American soccer. The score, in a sense, wasn’t really going to matter here. It was clear in the celebrities that lined the pitch, in the Argentina kits in the crowds, in the Tifo unveiled before kickoff. This was Messi’s introduction to the United States, not necessarily a football match.
Fortunately, there was a lot to like about this contest as a sporting event. Both sides had their chances in the early stages, with Cruz Azul hitting the post and Inter Miami peppering the visitors’ goal. The home side were rewarded for their pressure, with Robert Taylor pinging a shot in off the post to give his side the lead on the stroke of halftime. But the Messi chants that rang around DRV PNK Stadium from the first minute showed that it was only about one man.
And the home fans were graced with 35 minutes of the Argentine, who swiftly inherited the captain’s armband. His impact was almost immediate, a waving run and quick interchange within 60 seconds of his arrival on the Florida turf. He could do little to stop Cruz Azul’s equaliser, though, as Uriel Antuna leveled things with a lashed effort.
Then, in the 93rd minute, Messi had his moment. He was clattered on the edge of the box, found the back of the net by obligation, completing the sort of dream debut — one that somehow also seemed inevitable.
