Lionel Messi made it back onto the field at the perfect time.
The Argentine star, with some late-match heroics, lifted Inter Miami to the Leagues Cup final with a massive win over Orlando City on Wednesday night after missing a good chunk of the month with a leg injury. Messi scored twice in the final 15 minutes of the match to help power Miami to a 3-1 win over Orlando in their leg of the tournament’s semifinals at Chase Stadium in south Florida.
The franchise will now take on the Seattle Sounders in the championship match on Sunday. The Sounders beat the LA Galaxy 2-0 in their semifinal match on Wednesday night to reach the final.
Messi, after Orlando took a 1-0 lead right before halftime with a goal from Marco Pasalic, leveled the game up on a soft penalty kick in the 77th minute.
Messi buries the PK. Orlando are down to 10 men. We're level in the @LeaguesCup semis. 🍿 pic.twitter.com/635fCqqu31
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) August 28, 2025
