Argentina national team captain Lionel Messi returned to the field and did so in the best possible way: scoring the winning goal for Inter Miami, who defeated the Philadelphia Union 2-1 in Major League Soccer (MLS).
The Argentine star, who had missed the last few matches due to a muscle injury, came on in the second half and took just two minutes to make his mark.
Chase Stadium erupted in the 12th minute of the second half when Messi received a pass from Luis Suárez inside the box, cut inside the defender, and finished with an unstoppable right-footed shot. With this goal, Javier Mascherano’s team went 2-0 up in the match, after Robert Taylor opened the scoring in the 23rd minute after a great play by Jordi Alba down the left.
Philadelphia responded in the closing stages and pulled one back in the 35th minute of the second half with a goal from Hungarian Dániel Gazdag, which added excitement to the final minutes. However, Inter held on to their lead and took a key victory that catapulted them to first place in the Eastern Conference with 13 points from five games, surpassing the Union.
Messi’s scoring return not only meant three vital points for his team, but also a morale boost after missing the Argentine national team’s recent qualifying matches.
