How Lionel Messi mesmerized the crowd in Inter Miami’s win over FC Dallas
Lionel Messi delivered.
Again.
The soccer superstar scored twice in regulation and added the first penalty kick to lead Inter Miami to victory over FC Dallas at Toyota Stadium on Sunday in the Round of 16 of the Leagues Cup.
Messi has scored in all four of his matches since joining Inter Miami in July.
“As y’all guys see he [Messi] brings something else different,” said FC Dallas midfielder Bernard Kamungo, “He brought different people from different places and that’s amazing that helps the league, the teams and players, so I think it’s good for everybody.”
The sold out crowd of 19,096 chanted his name multiple times throughout the match as it was divided between cheering for their home team and cheering for the world’s best player. Messi, who led Argentina to the World Cup title in 2022, signed a contract in July that will pay him an estimated $150 million for the remainder of this season and for 2024 and 2025.
Miami used a 5-3 edge in penalty kicks to beat Dallas. The two clubs tied 4-4 after regulation.
Messi had two goals in regulation and had several passes that opened up scoring opportunities for teammates that didn’t come to fruition.
He scored the first goal of the match, just 6 minutes into play.
Messi’s second goal came in the 85th minute on a free kick that tied the contest 4-4 that set up the deciding penalty kicks.
“Like everyone said we tried to treat him [Messi] like just another player, but he’s got different quality and everybody has seen his quality,” said Kamungo, “Especially when it comes to free kicks.”
Messi was the first player to attempt a penalty kick and found the back of the net for the third time in the match.
Fans lined up hours ahead of kickoff in the 102-degree weather to see Lionel Messi play for Inter Miami. Messi is in the midst of his first MLS season since coming over from playing for Paris Saint-Germain F.C. in Ligue 1.
No team has defeated Inter Miami since Messi joined the club and Messi has scored seven goals in four matches. Messi did not speak with the media after the match.
FC Dallas’ Facundo Quignón, Bernard Kamungo and Alan Velasco all contributed goals in the effort.
Kamungo spoke about what it was like to score while playing Messi in front of his brother Imani.
“I don’t even know how to explain it,” said Kamungo, “I’ve never scored in front of him [Imani] so that was literally my first time scoring in front of him against Messi... I almost cried ‘cause it’s a lot and then I turned to him, I just told him that was for you.”
Inter Miami will move on to the next round of the Leagues Cup and play the winner of the Charlotte FC match against the Houston Dynamo.
This story was originally published August 6, 2023 at 11:04 PM.
