Inter Miami drew 2-2 against Barcelona of Ecuador in a friendly match played Saturday night at the Estadio Monumental in Guayaquil, a game that served as part of their preseason preparations. Beyond its preparatory nature, the presence of Lionel Messi transformed the match into a true event, and he left his mark with a spectacular goal.
The match kicked off at 9:00 PM (Argentine time) and was the third game of the American team’s preseason tour. Mascherano’s team had previously lost to Alianza Lima in Peru and defeated Millonarios in Colombia.
From the warm-up, the Rosario native was the center of attention and received a sustained ovation from the Ecuadorian crowd. Once the game was underway, Messi opened the scoring in the 30th minute with a brilliant individual effort: he received the ball far from the penalty area, dribbled through the middle, beat defenders with two feints, and fired a powerful shot into the far corner, leaving the home goalkeeper with no chance.
The Ecuadorian team responded in the 40th minute when J. J. Rojas headed home a corner kick, capitalizing on a mistake by the visiting goalkeeper. However, before halftime, the North American side regained the lead: in the 47th minute, Messi spearheaded a counter-attack and assisted Germán Berterame, who finished with a classy touch to make it 2-1.
In the second half, the Argentine captain left the field in the 57th minute and was replaced by Luis Suárez. With more drive than precision, Barcelona pressed for the equalizer and found it in the dying moments, in the 87th minute, thanks to a strike from Tomás Martínez.
Messi’s visit electrified Guayaquil. The Inter Miami squad, made up of about one hundred people including players, coaching staff and support personnel, moved under a strict security operation that included more than 500 officers, in addition to the support of the National Police, the Army and private club personnel.
