Lionel scores spectacular late winner on Inter Miami debut

Soccer superstar Lionel Messi scored a spectacular late winner on his debut for Inter Miami late Friday to clinch his first victory with the team.

With the scored tied at 1-1 with Mexican club Cruz Azul in the sold-out Leagues Cup match, the Argentinian forward curled a freekick into the top left-hand corner of the goal in front of more than 20,000 fans at the DRV PNK Stadium.

Messi began the night on the bench building up the suspense as he warmed up along the touchline, before he entered the field in the second half, replacing midfielder Benjamin Cremaschi.

But his debut got off to a nerve wracking start, as Azul’s Uriel Antuna struck a powerful low shoot to equalize shortly after he came on. 

Had he missed the free kick, the game would have gone to a penalty shootout. Instead, Messi ended it on his terms in the 94th minute.

“What I saw was the goal,” Messi said in an on-field interview amid the postgame celebration. “I saw the goal. I knew that I had to score.”

It took Inter Miami four years of planning and two years of pursuit to bring Messi — a seven-time Ballon d’Or winner and a World Cup champion — into the club. 

“Worth it,” the team's co-owner David Beckham said earlier in the week.

The game was attended by celebrities from Serena Williams to Kim Kardashian. NBA legend LeBron James also greeted Messi from the stands before the game with a big embrace.

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