Lionel Messi made a roaring return to action for Inter Miami, scoring a brace and providing an assist in a 3-1 win against Philadelphia Union in the MLS.
The Argentina international put up a sensational performance for the Herons as they breezed past Philadelphia Union to cross for yet another MLS win.
Before the match, Messi had endured a lengthy Injury layoff that ruled him out of weeks of action. For Inter Miami.
However, he had already scored 12 times for the Florida-based outfit and had 13 assists. His brace against Philadelphia Union was his 13th and 14th MLS goal for the season, and the assist was his 14th of the campaign.
Luis Suarez added his team-leading 17th goal in second-half stoppage time to keep him two behind D.C.’s Christian Benteke for the MLS Golden Boot.
Lionel Messi’s lengthy injury layoff
Before the match against Philadelphia Union, Lionel Messi last played for Inter Miami on June 1, 2024, before he joined the Argentina squad for 2024 Copa America.
The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner suffered an excruciating ankle injury after he got his foot stuck to the ground in the final on July 14.
He was subbed off the match and was down to tears at the bench. More worrying was the footage of the injury, which showed the footballer’s ankle swollen up.
Since the injury blow, he has been out of action for club and country, spending time on the sidelines for recovery. We captured an update on his fitness status ahead of the Philadelphia Union as confirmed by Inter Miami manager Gerardo Martino.
Lionel Messi makes a roaring return to action for Inter Miami
Lionel Messi proved crucial on his return as Inter Miami completed a stunning comeback against Philadelphia Union at the Chase Stadium on Sunday, September 15, 2024.
Philadelphia Union scored just two minutes into the game via Uhre to give the away side the lead but Lionel Messi rose to the occasion with a quickfire double to turn the game around.
Luis Suarez had taken Alba’s entry pass with his back to the goal and laid the ball to his left with his first touch. Messi took the layoff, evaded a challenge by a Philadelphia Union defender, and then drilled a low strike into the back of the net.
Four minutes later, it was Alba providing the cross directly for Messi to run onto at the penalty spot and guide in. Philadelphia Union goalkeeper touched the ball, but couldn’t keep it out.
Miami weathered considerable second-half pressure before Messi made his final contribution, laying the ball off for Suarez to curl in the bottom left corner on Miami’s final foray forward of the evening.
“I missed nights like this,” Messi reacts after Philadelphia Union win
Following the match, Messi shared his emotions about being back on the field, expressing how much he missed playing in front of fans.
“I miss nights like this,” Messi wrote on Instagram along with a carousel of pictures from the match.
“We keep adding together to achieve our goals.”
The footballing sensation has now scored 27 goals in 30 MLS appearances for the club. His contributions have seen Inter Miami consolidate their grip on the top spot in the Eastern Conference table with 62 points from 28 games.
