Lionel Messi came off the bench and buried a 70th-minute penalty to give Inter Miami a 2-1 win over Ecuador’s Independiente del Valle at Estadio Juan Ramón Loubriel in Bayamón, Puerto Rico on Thursday. The strike capped a friendly that had been pushed back after Messi missed earlier dates with a hamstring strain and handed Miami fans a quick shot of optimism before the club jumps back into MLS play this weekend.
Messi Delivers After An Up-And-Down First Half
Santi Morales opened the scoring for Miami in the 16th minute, finishing off a slick feed from Luis Suárez. The celebration barely had time to settle before Patrick Mercado equalized a minute later, tilting the momentum back toward Independiente del Valle.
Messi, held back until after the break, entered for the second half and soon took center stage. He stepped up to the spot in the 70th minute and calmly converted the penalty to restore Miami’s lead, according to Bolavip.
Chaos At The Loubriel
The night did not start smoothly. Kickoff was delayed by about an hour when both teams showed up in dark kits, forcing organizers into a scramble to sort out the color clash, per Infobae.
Things stayed lively late in the second half when several fans sprinted onto the pitch trying to get to Messi. One supporter was restrained by security and briefly knocked the star to the turf before play carried on, and local outlet Primera Hora reported attendance of more than 17,000.
Rotation And A Nervy Finish
Coach Javier Mascherano used the friendly to rotate heavily, sitting many regular starters in the first half while handing extended minutes to younger players. Ian Fray and Yannick Bright were among those in the starting XI in Puerto Rico.
Inter Miami still needed late heroics at the back. A stoppage-time, goal-line clearance from Maxi Falcón preserved the 2-1 lead and ensured Messi’s penalty would stand as the winner, according to the Miami Herald.
What It Means For Miami
The Puerto Rico stop wrapped up Inter Miami’s Champions Tour and offered Messi valuable match time after the hamstring issue that forced the fixture to be rescheduled earlier in February, per ESPN. Miami now heads back into MLS play on Sunday at Orlando City, with a March 1 road match at Inter&Co Stadium scheduled for a 7 p.m. kickoff on the venue’s events calendar.
For Miami supporters, the night in Bayamón was a familiar reminder that when Messi is available, the club always has a trump card that can flip a match in an instant. The challenge now shifts back to the staff, who must again juggle protecting his fitness with the demands of a packed early-season schedule.
