Lionel Messi refused to go quietly into the night.
The iconic No. 10 scored his first goal of the 2024 MLS season on Sunday evening, equalizing for Inter Miami CF in the 92nd minute of their 1-1 draw at the LA Galaxy.
Messi and Jordi Alba, half of the club's Big Four and ex-FC Barcelona superstars, expertly combined down the left flank – as they've so often done during their illustrious careers. Spotting an opening, Alba found Messi for a sliding finish that canceled out Dejan Joveljic's 75th-minute opener.
With their captain's moment of brilliance, Inter Miami are now 1W-0L-1D to start the year. They beat Real Salt Lake, 2-0, on Wednesday at home before flying cross-country to battle LA's new-look attack of Joveljic, Riqui Puig, Joseph Paintsil and Gabriel Pec.
Until Messi opened his ledger, Inter Miami goalkeeper Drake Callender was arguably the man of the match. He saved Puig's first-half penalty kick and made eight saves.
