Messi scores immediately on his return, Son Heung-min shines

On the morning of August 17, two top stars in MLS (American professional soccer league), Messi and Son Heung-min, both left a strong impression in the victories of their home teams, Inter Miami and Los Angeles FC, respectively.

Messi scores and assists, Son Heung-min raises Los Angeles FC

Messi sat on the bench for the entire first half of Inter Miami's home match against Marco Reus' LA Galaxy, having just recovered from injury. His close teammate Rodrigo De Paul was also on the bench. Coach Mascherano instead used young talent Cremaschi in De Paul's place and players including Suarez, Allende, Picault and Telasco Segovia in attack.

Messi immediately scored on his return with 1 goal and 1 assist for Inter Miami

Photo: Reuters

Against a somewhat declining LA Galaxy in the 2025 season (currently at the bottom of the MLS Western Conference standings), Inter Miami, despite not having Messi and De Paul in the starting lineup, still held almost all the initiative on the field. Coach Mascherano's team created many opportunities to score the lead, but at least 2 opportunities were denied by VAR due to offside errors.

It was not until the end of the first half that a perfect and excellent combination between Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba helped Inter Miami take a 1-0 lead in the 43rd minute. Alba scored after breaking away at full speed, receiving an extremely accurate pass from Busquets from midfield to score.

In the second half, coach Mascherano decided to put both Messi and De Paul on the field. However, the presence of these two famous players did not help Inter Miami to take the lead, but instead allowed LA Galaxy to unexpectedly equalize the score 1-1 in the 59th minute, scored by Joseph Paintsil.

In a situation where they could have been shockingly separated at home, Messi's class finally came to the rescue for Inter Miami. The 38-year-old marked his return with a goal to make it 2-1 in the 84th minute, after receiving a pass from De Paul near midfield, dribbling past two opposing players and unleashing a powerful shot from outside the box.

Son Heung-min hasn't scored yet, but he has lifted Los Angeles FC

Photo: Reuters

In the 89th minute, Messi completed his perfect comeback by assisting Suarez to raise the score to 3-1. Thereby, helping Inter Miami regain the joy of victory, after the shock of losing 1-4 to rival Orlando City.

Inter Miami are now back in fourth place in the MLS Eastern Conference standings with 45 points from 24 games. They still have three games in hand. Messi, with one goal and one assist, has moved up to the top of the MLS scoring charts with 19 goals and 10 assists from 19 games.

Meanwhile, at the same time, Son Heung-min has not scored yet, but he has raised the level of play of Los Angeles FC, helping the newly joined team to a perfect victory against New England Revolution with a score of 2-0. Son Heung-min contributed greatly to both situations that brought goals for Los Angeles FC, scored by Marco Delgado and Mathieu Choiniere in the 51st and 90+4th minutes.

This is Son Heung-min's second match for Los Angeles FC, with 1 win and 1 draw. Los Angeles FC currently has 40 points and is ranked 5th in the MLS Western Conference standings, ensuring a spot in the MLS Cup playoffs. In addition, they are also racing with Messi and Inter Miami for the Supporters' Shield title (the team that tops the MLS 2025 overall standings).

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/messi-lap-tuc-ghi-ban-ngay-tro-lai-son-heung-min-ruc-sang-18525081709250045.htm