Lionel Messi made a spectacular return from injury, scoring twice and providing an assist in Inter Miami’s 3-1 victory over Philadelphia Union.
The World Cup-winning Argentina captain had been sidelined since injuring his ankle in July’s Copa America final against Colombia.
His absence had meant missing this month’s World Cup qualifiers and eight Major League Soccer matches, though Inter Miami continues to lead the MLS Eastern Conference.
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At 37, Messi played the full 90 minutes in his first Inter Miami start in three months and made a significant impact.
Philadelphia took an early lead with Mikael Uhre scoring just 58 seconds in. However, Messi equalized in the 26th minute, finishing off a pass from Luis Suarez after Jordi Alba’s impressive play.
Messi put Inter Miami ahead four minutes later with another goal, set up by Alba, and later assisted Suarez for the third goal during second-half injury time.
Despite his stellar performance, Messi admitted post-match that he was “a little tired,” bringing his season tally to 14 goals in 13 games.
“I really wanted to come back, I had been off of the field for a long time,” he added.
“Little by little I was training with the group, feeling good and that’s why we decided that I would start, and I’m very happy.”
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