On the morning of July 22, Inter Miami entered the opening match against Mexico's Cruz Azul in the CONCACAF Leagues Cup. This is the match that fans are most looking forward to as they will witness the debut of superstar Lionel Messi in the Inter Miami shirt.

In the opening match at home, Inter Miami let Messi start from the bench. Lionel Messi's team continuously suffered from the storm coming from the opponent Cruz Azul in the first minutes of the match.

Messi scored a great goal to bring victory to Inter Miami. Photo: Getty

However, the game became more balanced in the following minutes, making the match more open, comfortable and exciting. Although many good opportunities were created, the stars of both sides were still unable to take advantage of them to score against the opponent.

In the 43rd minute, the home team Inter Miami was the luckier team when they unexpectedly scored a goal to take the lead. Right winger Robert Taylor skillfully dribbled the ball down the left wing and scored a low, dangerous shot into the far corner, opening the score for Inter Miami.

In the second half, the moment fans had been waiting for came when Messi was brought on as a substitute in the 54th minute. The appearance of the Argentine striker brought a fiery play to his teammates at Inter Miami. However, before he could create a difference, his team conceded a goal in the 65th minute. After a mistake by the Inter Miami defense, Cruz Azul midfielder Uriel Antuna received the ball in the penalty area. This player finished with a powerful shot from close range to equalize 1-1 for Cruz Azul.

As the match was winding down towards the final minutes of stoppage time, it seemed like the two teams would leave the field with a draw, but superstar Lionel Messi scored a superb free kick, bringing a 2-1 victory to Inter Miami. This result also ended the 11-match winless streak of the representative from the US Major League Soccer (MLS).

TUAN DIEP

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