Lionel Messi’s night lasted just 11 minutes, but even without their captain, Inter Miami pulled off a gutsy comeback, outlasting Mexico’s Necaxa 5-4 on penalties after a pulsating 2-2 draw in the Leagues Cup on Saturday.
The 38-year-old Argentine superstar appeared to suffer a right leg injury – a hamstring issue – early in the first half at Chase Stadium.
After attempting a dribble near the top of the box, Messi stumbled into defender Alexis Pena and fell to the turf, slamming his hand down in frustration.
He managed to get up and continue briefly, but minutes later sat down alone near the halfway line, clearly in discomfort.
Trainers attended to him, focusing on his upper thigh, before he walked off under his own power and was replaced by Federico Redondo.
The exit marked the end of a 16-match run of consecutive appearances for Messi, his longest stretch of uninterrupted play since joining the club in July 2023.
Despite the early setback, Inter Miami struck first.
Just one minute after Messi left the field, Venezuelan midfielder Telasco Segovia put the Herons ahead in the 12th minute, finishing off a well-timed assist from Rodrigo De Paul, who was making only his second appearance for the club.
But the momentum shifted again when Inter Miami was reduced to 10 men after defender Maximiliano Falcon was shown a red card in the 17th minute for a reckless challenge.
Necaxa capitalized in the 33rd when Tomas Badaloni slotted home the equalizer, leveling the score at halftime.
The second half offered no respite. Necaxa also went down to 10 men after Cristian Calderon received a second yellow card in the 60th minute.
Then, with just under 10 minutes left in regulation, substitute Ricardo Monreal gave the visitors the lead, curling home a composed finish after coming on in the 74th minute.
Inter Miami looked down and out, but Jordi Alba had other ideas.
Deep into stoppage time, the veteran Spanish left back connected with De Paul’s curling free kick and sent a powerful header into the net to tie the match at 2-2, forcing a penalty shootout.
Miami, undeterred by their early misfortune, converted all five of their penalties.
Rocco Rios Novo made a crucial save on Badaloni in the third round, and Luis Suarez delivered the decisive blow with a confident strike into the top left corner to seal the win.
The result gave Inter Miami five points in the Leagues Cup group stage, putting them atop their group heading into their final match against Mexico’s Pumas on Wednesday.
The tournament, which features clubs from MLS and Mexico’s Liga MX, advances its top four teams from each league to the knockout stage.
For Messi, the timing of the injury is concerning.
Though he hasn’t scored in the current tournament, he had assisted on both goals in Miami’s opening win over Atlas and entered Saturday tied for the MLS lead with 18 goals this season.
He has also added nine assists in league play, and his recent stretch of uninterrupted availability had raised hopes that his earlier injury troubles were behind him.
However, Messi’s durability remains in question.
He missed large parts of the 2023 season with leg and hamstring issues and struggled again in 2024, notably during a prolonged recovery from a torn leg muscle sustained in Argentina’s Copa America final this past July.
Despite those challenges, Messi played in 19 MLS games last season, scoring 20 goals and providing 16 assists on his way to being named the league’s MVP.
Inter Miami, now two for two in group play, must wait to see whether Messi will be fit to lead them further.
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