Lionel Messi turned saviour once again, scoring a stunning free-kick and delivering a last-gasp assist as Inter Miami staged a thrilling late comeback to snatch a 3-3 draw against Philadelphia Union at Subaru Park on Saturday night.
The Union looked to be cruising towards a comfortable win, leading 3-1 with just minutes remaining, thanks to Tai Baribo’s brace and an early wonder goal from Quinn Sullivan. But Messi had other ideas.
With the match slipping away, Messi stepped up in the 87th minute, curling a trademark free-kick past Andrew Rick to give Miami hope. Then, deep into stoppage time, he floated a clever ball into the box, which eventually fell to Telasco Segovia, who smashed home the equaliser in the 95th minute—his first goal in over two months.
It was another reminder of Messi’s enduring influence at age 37, dragging his side back from the brink of defeat with a goal and assist in the dying minutes.
Philadelphia had started brightly, opening the scoring inside seven minutes. Kai Wagner’s corner found Quinn Sullivan, who curled a lovely right-footed strike from just outside the area to beat Oscar Ustari.
The hosts doubled their lead just before half-time. Indiana Vassilev’s header fell to Mikael Uhre, who nudged it on to Baribo, and the Israeli striker coolly slotted it home for his 12th goal of the campaign.
Inter responded in the second half. Noah Allen whipped in a fine cross on 60 minutes, and Tadeo Allende powered home a header to make it 2-1. But Union hit straight back through Baribo, who controlled the ball in the box and fired low into the bottom corner to restore the two-goal cushion.
Just when it looked like Philadelphia had done enough, Messi struck with a moment of brilliance. His free-kick, placed perfectly beyond the reach of Rick, gave Inter Miami life. And when Union failed to clear in the 95th minute, Messi’s clever ball created the chance that Segovia took with confidence.
Inter Miami (6W-3D-5L) walk away with a valuable point after being second-best for most of the match, while Philadelphia Union (9W-3D-3L) saw their winning run halted but remain unbeaten in nine across all competitions.
For Messi, it was another night of decisive moments—the kind that only he can produce.