FRISCO, Texas — (AP) — Lionel Messi scored on another mesmerizing free kick in his third consecutive two-goal game for Inter Miami, a tying tally that led to a 5-4 victory over FC Dallas on penalty kicks in a Leagues Cup elimination game Sunday night.
Messi's goal in the 85th minute was reminiscent of the game-winner in his Inter Miami debut, both on free kicks from just outside the penalty box in the waning moments and sneaking past the goalkeeper into the upper corner of the net.
This time, the left-footed superstar, was to the right of the net, and beat FC Dallas' Maarten Paes to the near post the same way he did from the left side in a 2-1 win over Mexican club Cruz Azul in his Inter Miami debut.
The victory in the round of 16 sent Inter Miami into the Leagues Cup quarterfinals against the winner Monday night between Charlotte FC and Houston.
"I am glad for the final score. It was not an easy game as we were down until the 80th minute and it was great to have been able to finish the game the way we did," Inter Miami Head Coach Gerardo Martino said after the match. "We are very glad to be moving on and these types of games help us to continue to develop as a team and fix our mistakes. We still have a long way to go to be at the level we want but in the end, I am glad that we obtained the victory.”
Messi's first goal outside of Florida for his new U.S. club was another left-footed strike outside the penalty area in the sixth minute, on a pass from former FC Barcelona teammate Jordi Alba. It was initially disallowed on an offsides call that was overturned on review.
The seven-time Ballon d’Or winner and World Cup champion for Argentina has scored in all four matches for Inter Miami, with seven goals total.
FC Dallas had gone ahead 4-2 on Robert Taylor's own goal in the 68th minute, but Dallas gave an own goal right back in the 80th minute. Marco Farfan put a header into his own net on a cross from Messi on a free kick from outside the left corner of the penalty box.
Messi had the first penalty kick with a slow-moving shot into the right corner, and the difference was FC Dallas' Paxton Pomykal missing over the crossbar on the second attempt. Benjamin Cremaschi, who scored in the 65th minute, had the clincher as Miami finished with a 5-3 edge in the shootout.
Messi had several free kicks in the second half, with each attempt bringing everyone in the sellout crowd of 19,096 to their feet, most of them recording with cell phones.
Facundo Quignon and Bernard Kamungo scored in the first half for FC Dallas to erase the 1-0 deficit from Messi's early goal.
“I think that FC Dallas is growing in the right direction and we have to be proud about how we do things. The club has moved from a direction of majority young players to a roster that is a mix between young players and other players that has that experience," FC Dallas Head Coach Nico Estévez said. "We feel confident about what we want to do in this club.”
Alan Velasco, a native of Argentina who grew up idolizing Messi, made it 3-1 with a bouncing free kick that eluded several defenders and keeper Drake Callender for a 3-1 lead in the 63rd minute.
“The team fought till the end," Velasco said. "It is not easy playing the best player in the world but tonight FC Dallas showed what they are capable of and how the team has been growing over the last couple of years.”
Two minutes later, Cremaschi pulled Inter Miami within a goal to set up the wild finish.
The second of Messi’s three consecutive two-goal games came in the first Leagues Cup elimination game, a 3-1 Miami victory over Orlando City that was delayed by an hour and a half because of a torrential rainstorm in Florida.
The fifth match in Texas in Messi’s illustrious career had a kickoff temperature of 100 degrees (38 degrees celsius) on the 14th consecutive day of triple-digit heat in the Dallas area.
Because of the high temperatures, teams took a heat break near the halfway point of each half.
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