Lionel Messi came in as a second-half substitute for Inter Miami in his MLS debut against the New York Red Bulls, but despite his limited playing time, he didn't fail to deliver and absolutely delighted the whole crowd at Red Bull Arena.
Messi once again found the back of the net for Inter Miami, propelling them to a 2-0 win against their New York rivals. The Argentine superstar scored in the 89th minute to seal the victory after Diego Gomez put them in front in the first half. La Pulga's goal was pure masterclass as well, as he schooled the Red Bulls with an easy tap-in.
After receiving the ball from Jordi Alba in the penalty area, Messi found himself swarmed by Red Bull defenders. He then sent it to Benji Cremaschi, who was coming from the right wing. The New York defense collapsed after that, and Messi took advantage of it.
Messi got a lot of space as he got the return ball from Cremaschi before easily scoring his first MLS goal and 11th in nine games for Inter Miami.
Sure enough, the whole football world was hyped up with Messi's goal, with many simply in awe of his sensational performance.
Lionel Messi's first MLS goal for Inter Miami is a BEAUTY 🤩pic.twitter.com/qHXz6OFwoj
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) August 27, 2023
Here are more reactions to Messi's incredible display:
LIONEL MESSI SCORES AGAIN. HES UNSTOPPABLE pic.twitter.com/h7bG84YWdt
— MC (@CrewsMat10) August 27, 2023
LIONEL MESSI SCORES HIS FIRST LEAGUE GOAL IN MLS 👑 pic.twitter.com/u9pmOowucn
— B/R Football (@brfootball) August 27, 2023
Lionel Messi is on his right foot surrounded by 5 players. He then pulls out the best pass we will see this month and everyone is like "defend Messi".
People have been struggling to "defend" him for 20 years. Its clearly not that easy😂😂😂😂 https://t.co/epveoL69EZ— Is a Joke thing (@PhenomenalJnr) August 27, 2023
Proper Goat 🐐 pic.twitter.com/Jck3h3YTTF
— t͜͡e͜͡e͜͡co͜͡t͜͡t (@KingTeecott) August 24, 2023
Inter Miami have yet to lose since Lionel Messi joined them late in July. They have won one silverware (Leagues Cup) since then and booked a ticket to the US Open Cup final for a chance to win another hardware.
It remains to be seen if Messi can take the Herons out of the bottom of the MLS, but are we really going to doubt him?