In the 93rd minute of his Inter Miami debut, Lionel Messi struck an incredible rocket of a free-kick to defeat Cruz Azul 2-1.
The Argentine’s MLS debut couldn’t have been more perfect, demonstrating once more why he is still the game’s all-time greatest player.
After being fouled just outside the box late in the game with the scores tied at 1-1, the World Cup champion took the field.
The ball was in the ideal spot for Messi to score, and as we have seen countless times before, the little magician stepped up and did just that.
As of right now, Lionel Messi is a member of Inter Miami. On Friday night, during Inter Miami’s Leagues Cup match against Cruz Azul, the seven-time winner of the Ballon d’Or as the best player in the world reported to his new Major League Soccer team for the first time. He gave midfielder Benjamin Cremaschi a hug before trotting onto the field as the estimated 21,000 spectators appeared to be standing and practically all of them had their phones out to capture the scene.
Messi entered the game with his team ahead 1-0 despite not being in the starting lineup. At halftime, nobody even got up from their seats. Messi was on the field, thus the explanation. Prior to everyone leaving for the locker room during intermission, he warmed up with the other reserves for around five minutes.
The moment the fans could finally put their phones down and breathe was at that point. at least momentarily. It was now official: When will Messi arrive? When the second half started, he resumed his warm-ups by jogging around behind the end line close to Miami’s fan base. The crowd erupted in applause when he waved to them. The solution came around eight minutes into the second half: It was Messi time.
Robert Taylor scored the first Inter Miami goal of the Messi era late in the first half. Taylor received a long ball from Robbie Robinson, went into the box, and sent a low shot that bounced against the inside of the far post and into the goal for a 1-0 lead. With a flawless free kick, he scored at the 94th minute to give Inter Miami the victory.
Read more Article only for our subscribers Mbappé has developed into a problem for Paris Saint-Germain, and Mbappé has developed into a problem for Paris Saint-Germain.21,000 tickets or such were sold.According to team officials, all 21,000 tickets in the recently expanded stadium were sold. Nearly every seat was occupied, many of them by individuals sporting just purchased Miami shirts bearing Messi’s name on the back. They waved flags with his name and number on them and chanted his name a couple times.
Messi joined Inter Miami after four years of preparation and two years of active pursuit. It was “worth it,” co-owner David Beckham stated earlier in the week. Messi committed to a two and a half year deal with the squad, earning between $50 and $60 million a year and probably certainly more than $1 million per game. Despite the fact that the cost of resale tickets was rapidly down in the days leading up to the event, some fans spent far over $1,000 to attend Friday’s game.
About three hours before kickoff, Beckham was on the field filming the empty seats with his phone. Unofficial Messi jerseys were being sold on the road leading to the venue, and official Messi jerseys were available at the team store located inside the stadium.