Lionel Messi arrived at the Club World Cup on Thursday evening, as he led Inter Miami to their first win of the tournament in a 2-1 victory against Porto.
Inter Miami’s opening game in the Club World Cup was an underwhelming 0-0 draw against Egyptian side Al Ahly, where Miami’s stars such as Messi, Luis Suarez and Sergio Busquets struggled to impact the game.
The story from Thursday’s 2-1 scalp of Porto, however, was far different, where Miami became the first MLS ever team to beat a European side in a competitive game.
The hosts went 1-0 down after Samu Aghehowa smashed home from the spot following a controversial penalty call.
Lionel Messi performed his signature celebration after his superb goal
Reuters
Inter Miami goalkeeper Oscar Ustari got a good hand to it, but he couldn’t keep the ball out of the net.
The half petered to an end, with the side in pink struggling to lay any sort of a glove on the Portuguese outfit.
But, it all changed in the second half when Telco Segovia smashed the ball into the top corner after a pinpoint delivery from Marcelo Weigandt.
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Telco Segovia smashed the hosts' equaliser home
Reuters
The goal came just a minute after the match restarted.
Then, with the momentum firmly on the MLS team’s side, Messi placed the ball down for a free kick just 20 yards away from goal.
Many supporters will have witnessed flashbacks to his countless moments in a Barcelona and Argentina shirt from the same spot.
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The 37-year-old whipped the ball with ease and elegance over the Porto wall and into the top corner.
It was the Argentine’s 50th goal for Miami in just 61 games, and it put his side 2-1 up on the night in a crucial game.
Fifa and the Club World Cup had waited for that very moment from their main man, and it is sure to be the defining moment of the tournament so far.
The MLS team dominated the second period, a half where the experience and quality of Messi and Sergio Busquets really told, and held on to a win that their second half merited.
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Lionel Messi scored yet another fabulous free kick
Reuters
The victory, which made Inter Miami the first team to come from behind to win at the tournament this year, puts them three points ahead of Porto in the group, with just one more game to go before the knockout stage.
After the win, Inter Miami manager Javier Mascherano said: “Today we showed to the world and ourselves that we can compete against any team.
“The players understood they could do it. When they are together, when we are narrow, next to our teammates we can do something amazing.
“It is great for the people of the USA to see our team compete in this kind of tournament.”
Inter Miami’s final game comes against Brazilian outfit Palmeiras on Tuesday.
Both sides currently sit on four points, with Porto and Al Ahly, the remaining two teams in the group, on one apiece.
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