Featured Image Credit: Getty
Topics: Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Inter Miami, MLS, Barcelona, Phil Neville
Chris Byfield
Topics: Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Inter Miami, MLS, Barcelona, Phil Neville
Lionel Messi’s injury-time time goal record has been compared to Cristiano Ronaldo’s after the Argentinian’s latest heroics against Inter Miami.
Messi scored in the second minute of second-half injury time to salvage a 1-1 draw with La Galaxy on Sunday.
Dejan Joveljic put the Galaxy ahead in the 75th minute, with the LA outfit moments away from delivering Miami a surprising early-season blow.
However, with LA down to ten men, Messi executed a give-and-go pass sequence with former Barcelona colleague Jordi Alba, before chipping a shot into the roof of the net above Galaxy goalkeeper John McCarthy.
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The goal was celebrated wildly by a raucous Los Angeles crowd, with many of the 27,642 in attendance donning Messi shirts.
Despite Miami starting all four of their ex-Barcelona contingent in California, with Messi and Alba joined by Sergio Busquets and Luis Suarez, they were made to fight back after a dismal first half.
Messi had few chances in the game, while Busquets and Suarez in particular looked off the pace.
After the game Miami head coach Gerardo Martino said: "We were outplayed in the first half, we could have gone into the dressing room a goal down.
"They scored on a counter-attack but after that, we showed character."
Meanwhile, eight-time Ballon d’Or winner Messi’s 92nd minute was his 29th career injury-time goal in club football, as per Transfermarkt.
That is five more injury-time strikes than long-time rival Ronaldo, who has scored 24 goals after 90 minutes in his club career.
Elsewhere in the MLS, Phil Neville's Portland Timbers claimed a comprehensive 4-1 victory against the Colorado Rapids in their first game of the new season.
It was Neville's first win since returning to MLS after the 47-year-old was sacked by Inter Miami last summer.