On Sunday, Argentine great Lionel Messi scored twice, including a late freekick, to advance Inter Miami to the 2023 Leagues Cup quarterfinals.
Messi, the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner and 2022 FIFA World Cup champion, scored Inter Miami’s first and final goals in the match against FC Dallas, demonstrating yet another effective performance for his team.
Dallas led Miami 4-2 with 10 minutes remaining, but two late goals sent the game to a penalty shootout.
Messi curled a freekick into the six-yard box, but Dallas’ US defender Marco Farfan scored an own goal with a header in the 80th minute to cut the deficit to 4-3.
Messi, the former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) star, scored again at the conclusion of the game, curling a beautiful freekick to equalise, 4-4, sending the game to penalties.
Inter Miami defeated Dallas 5-3 on penalties at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas, to advance to the League Cup quarterfinals. Their next game is on August 11.
Messi, who joined Inter Miami in July, netted seven goals in four League Cup games.
The Leagues Cup is an international club football event involving Major League Soccer (MLS) from the United States and Canada and Liga MX from Mexico that began on 21 July and will end on 19 August.