Lionel Messi was back on the scoresheet for Inter Miami on Sunday, notching the team’s equalizer in the first half of their MLS game against Toronto FC thanks to an impressive strike with his left foot.
Telasco Segovia waves his way around Toronto’s defense in the fifth minute of first-half stoppage time before passing the ball to Messi on the edge of the penalty area. The World Cup winner took a touch and let the ball bounce up so he could get control of it as it came down. From there, Messi spun his body and hit the ball hard with his left foot and sent it quickly into the bottom right corner of the goal.
Take a look at the goal below, which got them a point in a 1-1 draw.
Before the goal went in, Miami’s Gonzalo Lujan was suspected of committing a handball but the refereeing team did not review the event.
Messi’s goal marked a quick response after Miami conceded the game’s opening goal just three minutes earlier. Toronto, the second-to-last team in the Eastern Conference, managed to play a competitive first half with Miami and scored first thanks to Federico Bernardeschi.
Miami did outshoot Toronto 12-8 in the first half but the visitors managed more meaningful scoring opportunities, outdoing the 2024 Supporters Shield winners 1.88 to 0.49 on expected goals. That is not to say that Miami were without their opportunities – about 20 minutes before Messi scored, he put the ball in the back of the net but the goal was ruled out for a foul during the play.
The strike was Messi’s third of the season in MLS and sixth across all competitions.
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