VIDEO | Messi's Stunning Goal to Rescue Inter Miami in Stoppage Time
A lethal connection between the Argentine star and Jordi Alba to secure an agonizing point for their team on their visit to LA Galaxy. What a play!
Los Angeles Galaxy and Inter Miami drew 1-1 this Sunday in the debut of the Californians in the new MLS season with Riqui Puig as the leader of the locals and Lionel Messi capable of changing the fate of the match in the final minutes.
LA Galaxy dominated much of the match with confidence thanks to the successful partnership between Puig and Ghanaian Joseph Paintsil, but the team of the Argentine star arrived well physically in the final moments and could well have taken a bigger prize.
The match, played at a packed Dignity Health Sports Park, left brilliant details of Messi, a very disconnected Luis Suárez, as well as quite inaccurate defensive performances from Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba.
It was the second time Messi played in 'The City of Stars', after facing Los Angeles FC in September of last year, and the Latino fans came in droves to a match that was sold out.
There were many reasons not to miss the game, including Puig's reunion with Messi, Suárez, Busquets, and Alba, with whom he celebrated the 2018-19 La Liga title at Barça, despite his timid role in that team.
The match started with a back-and-forth in which Galaxy concentrated the most dangerous plays thanks to very fast transitions led by Puig. So much so that Busquets made several mistimed tackles on the midfielder from the Los Angeles team.
Busi and Riqui faced each other time and again, and usually the latter came out victorious by deploying a wide range of resources to protect and move the ball quickly.
In one of those, Galaxy's number 10 passed to the right for Paintsil, who was brought down by Busquets and the referee awarded a penalty in the 12th minute.
Puig took responsibility and struck to the left side of Miami's goalkeeper, Drake Callender, who saved the penalty in a great reflex act.
In the 27th minute came the clearest warning from Greg Vanney's team in the first half thanks to a shot from outside the box by Puig that hit the crossbar.
The last moments of the first half saw an Inter Miami trying to intimidate Galaxy with some maneuvers by Messi and fruitless attempts by Luis Suárez, who missed a clear chance - later invalidated for offside - just before halftime.
Tata Martino's team came out with a different attitude in the second half and in the first minute of it, a run by Alba left Paraguayan Diego Gómez in a clear position but he failed to beat John McCarthy.
Messi also tried his luck from outside the box several times finding some space between the duo Yoshida and Cáceres, the Uruguayan center-back who also went through Barcelona in the early years of his career.
But Puig - who was very motivated - and Paintsil continued to intermittently torment the pink team with balls behind the Spanish Inter Miami full-back who either retreated late or was surpassed defending in numerical inferiority.
Through his side, there was also the incursion of Japanese full-back Yamane who found the post after a combination play.
Thus, in the 75th minute, a run from the Catalan midfielder of Galaxy left him in a shooting position, Callender repelled down but the rebound allowed Serbian forward Dejan Joveljic to score the first goal of the match.
After this, the Miami team posed about ten final minutes with many chances until Alba found the formula, enabled Messi in the area, and the Argentine did not forgive in the 92nd minute.
Just a minute later, the Argentine could complete the comeback but his shot went wide and the crowd, in which there were thousands of shirts with his number, ended up applauding him.
