‘Scared’? Barely fit? Nonsense. Lionel Messi’s greatness inspired Inter Miami to yet another final

At the ripe old age of 38, Lionel Messi continues to leave us breathless and his latest brace for Inter Miami reminded everyone of how clutch he is, even when he’s not fully fit.

Having missed Inter Miami’s last five matches with a muscular injury, Messi returned to the starting XI against Orlando City.

It was an important game for Inter Miami too, given that a place in the Leagues Cup final was on the line.

Javier Mascherano’s side were trailing the game heading into half-time and were in desperate need of some Messi magic to get them back into the game.

Fortunately, they were awarded a penalty in the 77th minute, which Messi converted expertly. Amazingly, that’s only the third penalty that Messi has taken since joining the MLS side.

After a slow run-up, he buried the penalty into the side netting, which tied Inter Miami level with 13 minutes remaining.

With Orlando a man down, thanks to David Brekalo receiving a red card, it was all one-way traffic towards the end of the game, with Miami pushing for the win.

Eleven minutes after scoring his penalty, the Chase Stadium erupted after Jordi Alba and Messi linked up for the winning goal. How many times have we seen that in the past?

Alaba takes advantage of a poor clearance and after a quick one-two with Messi, the Argentinian is able to sprint past three defenders and bury the ball into the bottom corner.

MESSI MIGHT’VE JUST WON IT. WOWOWOWOW. pic.twitter.com/r3ZUYugpz5

— Major League Soccer (@MLS) August 28, 2025

Telasco Segovia made the victory even more comfortable for Miami, scoring their third goal of the game in the 91st minute to ensure their place in the final.

Miami will now take on Seattle Sounders in the final, with that game set to take place this Sunday.

Having already won the trophy during hsi debut season with Miami, Messi will be keen to win the tournament once more.

“With Leo, words fall short,” Miami’s assistant manager, Javier Morales, said after the game.

“He barely trained, then came in and played 90 minutes. For us, it’s a privilege to have him, and for the fans, too, to watch him score goals. We’re very happy.”

Messi himself admitted to being scared in the first half, being cautious that he didn’t want to aggravate his recent injury.

However, as the game opened up, Messi quickly found his stride and the rest is history.

“I wanted to be here,” Messi told Apple TV.

“Against the LA Galaxy, I felt uncomfortable, but I knew how important this rival was. I prepared for it. In the first half, I felt scared, but little by little I loosened up.”

The Argentine forward has now scored 27 goals in 33 appearances during 2025, having also produced 10 assists for his teammates too.

With his muscle injury now firmly behind him, we wouldn’t bet against him making the difference in the final on Sunday.

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