Lionel Messi made his return to competitive football on Saturday, coming off the bench for Inter Miami in their 2-2 Major League Soccer draw with Columbus Crew, in a match that also saw team-mate Casemiro score an own goal.
Messi had not played since captaining Argentina in their 1-0 defeat by Spain on 19 July. The 39-year-old forward scored eight goals and provided four assists during the tournament.
He was introduced in the 53rd minute, with Inter Miami leading 2-1, and received a huge ovation from the home supporters. Messi had been named among the substitutes for the match after his extended absence from club football.
The Argentina forward almost made an immediate impact. Cutting in from an acute angle, he struck a left-footed effort into the side-netting.
A second chance followed soon afterwards when Messi controlled a pass from Luis Suarez on his chest before sending his shot narrowly wide.
Inter Miami had taken the lead through an audacious long-range chip from Suarez, who scored his seventh goal in four games.
Casemiro, the Brazil midfielder who joined Inter Miami in July after leaving Manchester United, then inadvertently brought Columbus Crew level. He stretched in an attempt to block a cross but instead diverted the ball into his own net.
Inter Miami regained the advantage when Noah Allen headed the home side in front.
Columbus Crew avoided defeat with six minutes of normal time remaining when Brais Mendez curled a free-kick into the net on his debut, making the score 2-2.
Messi still had opportunities to decide the game during added time. His looping header drifted narrowly wide, before a right-footed effort went over the crossbar.
The draw extended a dramatic return for Messi, who had spent the match’s opening stages watching from the substitutes’ bench before being given more than half an hour to regain his match sharpness.
His appearance came after a tournament in which he had been a central figure for Argentina, contributing eight goals and four assists before the side’s defeat by Spain in the final.
Inter Miami’s lead twice disappeared during the contest, with Casemiro’s own goal cancelling out Suarez’s opener and Mendez’s late free-kick preventing the hosts from claiming victory after Allen’s header.
Messi’s introduction nevertheless provided the main moment of the afternoon for the home supporters, who welcomed the forward enthusiastically when he entered the match. Despite creating late openings, he could not mark his return with a goal as Inter Miami and Columbus Crew shared the points.
