The LA Galaxy pulled off a feat few groups in MLS have been in a position to on Sunday night time: It stored Lionel Messi largely quiet for many of the night time, simply not all of it.
With the Galaxy trying to be on the way in which to a season-opening win over Inter Miami CF at Dignity Well being Park in Carson, California, Messi popped up in second-half stoppage time to cancel out Dejan Joveljic's objective for the Galaxy and salvage a 1-1 draw for his staff.
- Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, extra (U.S.)
On an evening by which LA welcomed again one if its former stars in Miami co-owner David Beckham, the Galaxy had been a lot much less hospitable to the South Florida membership's talisman, harrying Messi all around the pitch all through the sport and maintaining him off the scoresheet till the sport's dying minutes.
Inter Miami began with its famed quartet of former Barcelona gamers on the sphere -- Jordi Alba, Luis Suárez and Sergio Busquets alongside Messi -- but it surely was one other product of the membership's La Masia academy in Ricard Puig that stole the present within the first half.
Puig, who joined the Galaxy in 2022, was in all places within the opening 45 minutes, distributing the ball to teammates and forcing a goal-saving shot from Miami keeper Drake Callender as the house aspect had the higher of the first-half possibilities.
The 24-year-old Puig additionally had a thirteenth minute penalty saved by Callender after Busquets pulled new Galaxy arrival Joseph Paintsil down from behind within the space and the referee awarded the Galaxy a spot kick.
Messi solely had 27 touches within the first half -- his second-fewest touches in a primary half since becoming a member of Inter Miami -- and the sport went into the break tied 0-0.
Paintsil continued to trigger issues down the correct wing because the second half started and as soon as once more Miami had Callender to thank for maintaining his staff within the recreation with a pair of nice saves earlier than the 60-minute mark.
Miami's finest likelihood of the sport got here within the 69th minute when a Messi free kick bounced off the wall and fell to the toes of Diego Gómez proper in entrance of objective, however one other new Galaxy arrival -- John McCarthy -- made a stellar save to maintain the sport scoreless.
The Galaxy lastly discovered a deserved objective within the seventy fifth minute when Puig's shot from the highest of the realm -- on the finish of one more swift counter-attack -- was saved to the toes of Mark Delgado, who squared a move to Joveljic to complete into an open internet.
Delgado was despatched off minutes later after receiving his second yellow card and Miami took full benefit as Messi picked up a free ball and performed a sequence of one-two passes with Alba earlier than smashing a left-footed shot into the highest of the online for his first objective of the 2024 MLS season.
Supply hyperlink - espnfc.com