World-renowned soccer star Lionel Messi played his first match with Inter Miami CF outside of the team’s home stadium as it eliminated FC Dallas in penalty kicks during the Leagues Cup’s Round of 16 in front of a sold-out crowd of 19,096 fans on Sunday.
Messi scored two goals for the third time in four games with Inter Miami, including the game’s first goal at the six-minute mark and the game-tying goal on a penalty kick in the 85th minute as he led a ferocious comeback.
“It’s good to have him here,” FC Dallas forward Bernard Kamungo told the media postgame. “Playing against him is something that was different. We grew up watching him and all that, but still, as a team, I think we could’ve done better, and that’s a disappointment for the whole team.”
After Miami took an early 1-0 lead, FC Dallas scored two quick goals as Facundo Quignon put one past Miami’s goalkeeper, and Bernard Kamungo converted on a short breakaway goal. Alan Velasco added a free kick, and Miami gave Dallas another when Robert Taylor put the ball in his own net.
Dallas returned the favor at the 80-minute mark, as a Messi free-kick ricocheted off a defender’s head and into the net. Five minutes later, Messi was given another free-kick, which he sent past a diving Maarten Paes and into the upper corner of the net.
“It’s not about a lack of response,” FC Dallas head coach Nico Estevez told the media. ” I think we did a really good job. We have to understand the little details against big teams and big players. You have to be more focused and also capitalize on the chances you have in the game because these guys can score goals.”
With the game tied after a full 90 minutes of regulation, the patch went into penalty kicks, where Miami advanced after Benjamin Crenmaschi scored to give his team a 5-3 advantage. They will face either the Houston Dynamo or Charlotte FC in the Leagues Cup Quarterfinals.
“It was not an easy game as we were down until the 80th minute and it was great to have been able to finish the game the way we did,” Inter Miami CF head coach Gerardo Martinez told the media after the game. “We are very glad to be moving on and these types of games help us to continue to develop as a team and fix our mistakes. We still have a long way to go to be at the level we want but in the end, I am glad that we obtained the victory.”
Despite the loss for FC Dallas, Inter Miami, and Messi brought an influx of business to the downtown Frisco area over the weekend.
Businesses all around the stadium saw a substantial increase in crowds as they adjusted to the impact of hosting an international star in a high-stakes, international tournament.