Lionel Messi scored another mesmerizing free-kick in his third consecutive two-goal game for Inter Miami as his new team beat FC Dallas on penalties in the Leagues Cup.
Messi’s goal in the 85th minute – which tied the match at 4-4 for good – was reminiscent of the game-winner in his Inter Miami debut. Both free kicks were from just outside the area in the waning moments, and both ended up in the top corner.
“[There’s] not much to say. I think everyone can see,” FC Dallas coach Nico Estévez said. “It’s obvious that for him a free-kick around there is like a PK for another player. You have to pray that the ball goes out of bounds or he fell in the run to kick the ball.”
Sunday’s match had a kickoff temperature of 100F (38C) on the 14th consecutive day of triple-digit heat in the Dallas area. Because of the high temperatures, teams took a heat break during each half.
Messi’s first goal on Sunday was another left-footed strike outside the penalty area. It came in the sixth minute, after an assist from his former Barcelona teammate Jordi Alba.
Messi has scored in all four of his matches for Inter Miami, with seven goals in total. Inter Miami have won each of those games – all in the Leagues Cup – after going winless in nine consecutive MLS matches before the 36-year-old arrived. He also scored in Sunday’s penalty shootout, which Miami won 5-3.
“We are very glad to be moving on and these types of games help us to continue to develop as a team and fix our mistakes,” Miami coach Gerardo Martino. “We still have a long way to go to be at the level we want but in the end, I am glad that we obtained the victory.”
Miami co-owner David Beckham was in the crowd on Sunday, in a stadium where tickets that normally go for about $40 were selling for hundreds of dollars, and in some cases were listed on resale sites for more than $1,000.
FC Dallas’s Alan Velasco scored his team’s third goal, and said it was a joy to score in front of his fellow Argentinian.
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“I accomplished one of my biggest dreams today,” the 20-year-old Velasco said. “It was such a surreal experience that after many years of watching him play, I finally got to share the field with him.”
Estévez said Messi’s presence is a boon for everyone in MLS.
“To have players like him here will make our players better,” Estévez said of Messi. “When you have to face this kind of level, you have to do better. And you can see FC Dallas today, how some of our players raised their level.”
Sunday’s victory sent Inter Miami into the Leagues Cup quarter-finals, where they will play Charlotte FC or Houston.
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