Lionel Messi was at it again on Saturday night in Major League Soccer action as the Argentine scored Inter Miami's lone goal in a 1-1 draw against Charlotte FC. The World Cup winner, who just returned to action after a two-month layoff due to injury after the Copa America, brought his team level in the 67th minute with a signature strike. The former Barcelona man received the ball at the top of the box, faked like he was going to shoot to get by his defender, and hit a powerful and curling effort low to the far post.
Take a look:
MESSI. BANGER. 🐐 pic.twitter.com/84VIwmBOF3
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) September 29, 2024
That's just Messi doing Messi things in MLS. As Inter Miami close in on the top seed in the Eastern Conference and are the heavy favorites to win the MLS Cup, this is a result that shows their ability to compete and really dominate against a likely fellow playoff team while not being at their best. Inter Miami finished the game with 19 shots and seven on frame, while Charlotte put just two of their nine shots on goal. In the end, it will be a result the Herons know should have ended with three points instead of one, but it will serve as a learning experience come playoff time.
After the game was over, Messi was given a yellow card due to his constant bickering at the head official over his decision to not call many fouls. Teammate Jordi Alba had to come over to encourage Messi to stop, hoping to prevent him from getting a red card. Inter Miami return to action on Wednesday against arguably the second-best team in the league, the Columbus Crew.
