The owner anticipated the ridiculous inevitability of his new signing’s genius, and that’s exactly how it played out. In the 94th minute of the Leagues Cup, a competition between MLS and Liga MX teams, Lionel Messi, in his debut, scored a signature 25-yard shot to secure a 2-1 win over Cruz Azul.
In the stands of the DRV PNK stadium, Beckham was overcome with emotion and the 21,000 fans who had joyfully gathered for a football party were in a state of frenzy. “It felt like a movie I could watch over and over again,” continued new Inter coach Gerardo “Tata” Martino.
After a few minutes, the match concluded, making it the best night in the brief and, until this week, largely sad history of Inter Miami CF. On the first night, Kim Kardashian, Serena Williams and LeBron James were among those in attendance to attest to the full Messi effect.
“It doesn’t seem real until I see him playing in that shirt on the pitch.” Before the match, Battered Herons podcast host Daniel Granada said: “I have the shirt, I see the shirts, but until I see him with the ball at his feet it won’t be real.”
Inside the newly expanded, makeshift stadium in Fort Lauderdale, fans could be heard chanting “Messi, Messi” almost non-stop as they looked at the home bench in hopes of seeing movement. For the first half, the new signing remained seated, generally smiling. The crowd chanted for their preferred substitute after Inter defender Ian Fray appeared to have suffered a serious injury. Messi would later thank his teammate for the win.
The legendary substitute stretched and waved intermittently at the start of the second half, drawing little attention from the fans. Then the moment arrived. Messi arrived well before pre-match speculation that he would only make a cameo, wearing the same pink No. 10 shirt that hundreds of fans wore inside the stadium. Another recent Inter Miami coup, he was joined by Sergio Busquets, his former Barcelona teammate. The old telepathy still exists, for the curious. For their link-up play alone, Inter will be entertaining to watch, and Busquets remains a formidable player.
View the image in full screen During Friday’s match, many fans took pictures of Messi from the stands, including LeBron James and Serena Williams. Eva Marie Uzcategui/AFP/Getty Images is the photographer. However, she was curious about what Messi and Busquets thought in the first half. Their team had a disorganized start, with a patchy defense, poor thinking ability and a lot of possession. Perhaps the occasion affected them too? The Mexican team, which has yet to win a game in Liga MX, forced several saves, hit the crossbar and missed a rebound from an open goal. Even Messi’s intervention would not have won the game if there had been better finishing. 
Just before the break, Inter managed to equalise and move ahead. Winger Robert Taylor was found by a cross from Robbie Robinson and beautifully finished with a right-footed shot from the edge of the area. After 65 minutes, Cruz Azul finally got the equaliser, which set up the thrilling climax. Chances presented themselves at both ends on a generally muggy summer night in South Florida, as two teams bottom of their respective leagues tired terribly. But Messi delivered the decisive blow, ending his new team’s 11-game losing streak.
