Lionel Messi helped Inter Miami draw 2-2 with New York City on the opening day of Major League Soccer (MLS) with a double assist.
On the morning of February 23, Inter Miami will play New York City in the first round of MLS 2025.
Just 4 minutes after the ball started rolling, Messi left his mark with a quick pass to Avilés who scored accurately from close range, opening the score.
However, the following minutes followed a scenario that Messi and his teammates could not have expected. In the 23rd minute, the scorer - Avilés - committed a very rough foul on a New York City player and received a red card and had to leave the field.
Playing with one less man, Inter Miami quickly equalized in the 26th minute when Ilenič took advantage of the opportunity to score for the away team.
In the second half, when the match was still very tight, Jordi Alba's mistake made Inter Miami pay the price. In the 55th minute, the former Barca defender carelessly passed the ball back, creating an opportunity for the away team's Martínez to accelerate and score, raising the score to 2 - 1 for New York City.
Conceding a goal, Inter Miami tried to attack in the remaining time but the home team's decisive situations were not sharp enough to create a goal.
It seemed like Messi and his teammates would be defeated on the opening day, but Inter Miami equalized 2-2 in the 90+10 minute. Messi dribbled the ball and made a perfect pass for Segovia to run down and impressively chip the ball into the visitors' net.
The match ended with a score of 2-2 and Messi was the brightest star with 2 assists.