Lionel Messi set career first in penalty shootout win for Inter Miami
Lionel Messi is well known for his record-breaking, and his fast start to life with Inter Miami is no exception, but victory over FC Dallas in the Leagues Cup saw him achievable a notable first.
The Argentine won a penalty shootout for the very first time in his illustrious club career in the round of 16 encounter at Texas’ Toyota Stadium. It was also only the second time he had taken part in a shoot out for his club, with the first coming for PSG in a French Cup game against Nice in January 2022. Though Messi converted his spot kick, the French champions lost the shootout 6-5.
His most recent shootout before Sunday night came in the final of the 2022 World Cup, when Argentina defeated France to become world champions for the third time in their history. After a thrilling game that ended 4-4 after extra time, Messi scored the first of five successful spot-kicks in the shootout as Miami advanced to the next round.
The 36-year-old continued his scintillating start to life in South Beach by scoring another brace to take his tally to just seven goals and one assists in his four games, all in the Leagues Cup. He opened the scoring after just six minutes when Jordi Alba crossed the ball to the edge of the box, which resulted in a trademark curling left-foot finish into the bottom corner.
His second goal didn’t come until the 85th minute of the game, while Inter Miami trailed 4-2 thanks to goals from Facundo Quignon, Bernard Kamungo, Alan Velasco, and an own goal from Robert Taylor. The seven-time Balon d’Or winner stepped up to take another free kick and the pressure was on.
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As he did on his debut against Cruz Azul, Messi whipped the ball into the top corner to level the match for his team as the crowd erupted, including owner David Beckham. In the shootout, Paxton Pomykal blazed Dallas’ second spot kick over the crossbar an it proved to be the decisive moment. Benjamin Cremaschi, who scored in the 65th minute, scored Miami’s final penalty and they won the shootout 5-3.
Messi took to his Instagram account to post a series of pictures, writing: “We fought until the last moment and at the end we got another win!! One more step. Thanks to all the people in Dallas for the love.”
Messi inspired Inter Miami CF to their first ever victory over Dallas FC (Alex Bierens de Haan/Getty Images)Following the hard-fought victory, Inter Miami boss Tata Martino was thrilled with the start Messi has made to life in Miami. "We have the best player in the world. That can't be ignored. When we have our moments, the team is lethal," he said.
"This question always gets asked in the places where he is. Someone can bet on what Barcelona would've looked like without Messi, what the Argentina national team would look like without Messi or anywhere he's been.
"Fortunately, we have him, and today he once again showed he's a tremendously important player.” Miami will host Charlotte FC in the quarter-finals after they defeated Houston Dynamo 2-1.
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