In a highly anticipated return from injury, Lionel Messi came off the bench and scored a crucial goal to lead Inter Miami to a 3-1 victory over the defending MLS champions, the Los Angeles Galaxy, on Saturday.
The iconic 38-year-old striker had been sidelined with a “minor muscle injury”—an apparent hamstring strain—that kept him out of two recent matches. Miami’s coach, Javier Mascherano, revealed that the plan was to ease Messi back in. “We had planned the match to give minutes to Leo. The idea was to give him 45 minutes so that he can find sensations,” Mascherano stated after the game.
The match was an evenly fought contest for much of the game. Inter Miami’s Jordi Alba opened the scoring in the 43rd minute, but the Galaxy’s Joseph Paintsil leveled the score in the 59th. The deadlock was broken when Messi entered the game, replacing Telasco Segovia, and immediately changed the dynamic of the match. His moment came in the 84th minute when he found the back of the net to put Inter Miami ahead. Just five minutes later, Messi assisted Luis Suarez for an insurance goal, sealing the 3-1 victory.
Mascherano noted that while Messi “was clearly not 100 percent comfortable” at first, he “was loosening up more and more as the minutes went by.” He also added that Messi’s constant desire to play is a testament to his character.
With this win, the reigning MLS Most Valuable Player, who now has 19 goals and 10 assists in 19 appearances this season, helped Inter Miami remain in fourth place in the MLS Eastern Conference. The team will now look ahead to a Leagues Cup quarter-final match against Tigres on Wednesday.
In other MLS action, South Korean international Son Heung-min picked up his first MLS victory in his first league start for LAFC, assisting on a goal in their 2-0 win over New England.
