Messi curled a spectacular free kick into the far corner, yet Inter Miami fell 2-1 after extra time.
The 39‑year‑old Argentine equalised for Inter Miami with a left‑foot curve from a wide angle, beating Patrick Schulte’s goal despite his 1.93‑metre reach.
A jewel before saying goodbye to Argentina. Will this be his last masterpiece for Inter Miami?
He notched his second consecutive set‑piece, raising his career tally to 76 and marking his 12th for Miami, but the side still went down in stoppage time. For my money, Messi’s free‑kick mastery still defines the league.
Josef Martinez’s penalty opened the scoring in the 28th minute, followed by Messi’s equaliser five minutes later. Jamal Thiaré then clinched the win in the 98th after a rebound from the opposing keeper, capping a logical finish after Anass Zaroury’s three attempts on target.