In the warm southern California setting, Lionel Messi again supplied Inter Miami with the decisive touch from a set piece, curling in a free-kick goal to draw his side level against San Diego FC and move to 101 goals for the Florida club.
Miami had fallen behind when the Argentine captain took charge of a dead-ball situation. Messi delivered a driven, inswinging ball toward Casemiro in the penalty area, but no player managed to make contact as it travelled through a crowded box. The delivery instead caught the San Diego goalkeeper out and crept into the net for 1-1.
The goal extended a remarkable few days for Messi, who had only just reached his century for Inter Miami during the club’s 2-0 Campeones Cup victory over Cruz Azul. That result brought silverware to Miami, while Messi’s latest intervention immediately lifted his personal total beyond the landmark.
A century surpassed in Miami colours
Messi’s 101st Inter Miami goal underlined the scale of his attacking influence since arriving in the United States. Against San Diego, as in so many of his decisive moments for the club, the breakthrough came from his ability to turn a stationary ball into an unpredictable threat.
For Inter Miami, the equaliser prevented the match from slipping away after they had gone behind. For their captain, it was another entry in a growing club record, arriving shortly after a trophy-winning night against Mexican opposition in the Campeones Cup.
