Lionel Messi found the back of the net, but Inter Miami were held to a 1-1 draw by struggling Toronto FC in a Major League Soccer (MLS) clash on Sunday.
Toronto FC, who are yet to register a win this season, showed resilience throughout the match and created enough chances to have claimed all three points.
The Canadian side, currently 14th in the Eastern Conference, gave Miami’s shaky defence plenty to worry about, with Toronto hitting the woodwork twice in the early stages of the game. Theo Corbeanu’s left-footed shot struck the post in the 17th minute, and just two minutes later, he was denied again after a goalmouth scramble, hitting the post for a second time.
Inter Miami thought they had taken the lead in the 39th minute when Messi unleashed one of his trademark low drives into the corner from the edge of the box. However, a VAR review ruled that Messi had fouled Toronto’s French defender Nickson Gomis as he created space for the shot, causing the goal to be ruled out.
In the 46th minute, Toronto took the lead with Italian forward Federico Bernardeschi’s brilliant effort inside the box. Bernardeschi twisted past Miami defenders and poked the ball past goalkeeper Drake Callender.
But the lead was short-lived. Just seven minutes later, Messi found space on the edge of the box and slotted a precise low shot past Toronto goalkeeper Sean Johnson, leveling the score at 1-1.
Toronto came out for the second half looking positive and nearly regained the lead when Bernardeschi fired wide from a promising position. Despite their lack of structure and fluency, Miami remained dangerous on the break and could have taken the lead again when Fafa Picault delivered a cross to Luis Suarez at the back post. However, Suarez lost his balance and sent his shot wide from close range.
Messi, who played the entire match, continued to try to create opportunities on his own but was often crowded out by Toronto’s defenders. He did test Johnson with a low shot in the 77th minute after working some space for himself.
In the dying moments of the match, Bernardeschi threatened again but was denied by a timely block from Miami’s Argentina defender, Tomas Aviles.
After the match, Inter Miami coach Javier Mascherano reflected on his team’s performance, expressing frustration but emphasizing the importance of their upcoming challenge in the Concacaf Champions Cup. Miami will face Los Angeles FC in the quarter-final second-leg on Wednesday, trailing 1-0 from the first leg.
“We disconnected from the game in the first half for about 10-15 minutes, and they scored. After that, we tried to regroup in the second half and made some changes. It was a tough match, and Toronto showed quality up front. We need to focus on Wednesday’s game,” said Mascherano.
In other MLS action on Sunday, former Inter Miami striker Josef Martinez scored a hat-trick as San Jose Earthquakes thrashed DC United 6-1. Meanwhile, New York City FC suffered a 2-1 defeat at home to Minnesota United, who moved up to third place in the Western Conference.
