Lionel Messi had not even left his seat when the Inter Miami fans behind his team’s substitute bench began to go crazy.
All it took was for his burly bodyguard to start patrolling the bench to let thousands of fans know what was about to happen. That’s how obsessed they have become with his hero.
Seconds later, there it was. Messi, who had not played since March 13 due to an injury, greeted the crowd like a King greeting his people.
Messi stood and watched the Colorado Rapids take the lead while he warmed up. Rafael Navarro fired from the penalty spot and then fired a figurative weapon in the direction of the World Cup winner as he celebrated.
However, the Brazilian soon looked foolish. Messi was replaced by Tata Martino at half-time and 15 minutes later Inter Miami led 2-1. The Argentine scored the tying goal (a sublime goal in the first half) and assisted in the second. He is back.
Lionel Messi returned from injury to inspire Inter Miami to a comeback on Saturday night
Messi needed only 12 minutes to equalize Inter Miami against Colorado Rapids
Messi had not played since March 13 but made a sublime shot from the edge of the area.
Leo Afonso scored his first goal with Inter Miami’s first team to put them ahead moments later
The Colorado Rapids celebrate the late equalizer after a clinical breakaway in the 87th minute.
But while Messi can turn things around at one end of the pitch, he can’t offer a solution to Miami’s defensive deficiencies.
In the 87th minute, the Rapids delivered a counterattack punch that silenced the home fans. A good shot from Cole Bassett in the far corner robbed him of a point just when Messi thought he had won all three.
There are bigger challenges on the horizon for Inter Miami, namely the second leg of their CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinal against Monterrey in midweek.
Martino was also able to rest Luis Suárez and brought on Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba in the second half. Resting those tired legs is a necessity as the games continue to pile up.
The absence of Inter Miami’s four stars was blatantly obvious in a first half in which they lacked control and composure.
They barely had one kick and when they did they couldn’t hold on to the ball as the Rapids surrounded them.
Miami was also guilty of weak defending, particularly when Navarro made his way through tackle after tackle inside the box before his cross was deflected back into a corner.
Miami escaped another scare moments later when Rapids winger Kevin Cabral appeared to have scored.
Referee Ted Unkel, however, somehow missed an obvious foul on Cabral as he ran. If committed, he would have left Miami defender David Ruiz at risk of an early bath.
Julian Gressel had Miami’s first attempt, but his shot went straight into the throat of former Manchester City goalkeeper Zack Steffen. Minutes later, Tomás Avilés should have put the hosts ahead but his shot missed over the crossbar.
Colorado Rapids forward Rafael Navarro opened the scoring with a ruthless penalty.
He fired a figurative weapon in the direction of Messi while the Argentine was warming up on the bench
Miami was largely limited to counterattacks and towering winger Shanyder Borgelin played on the right. He attempted to enter the area with Leonardo Campana running, but was easily dispossessed as the attack broke down.
Then Messi got up and ran down the sideline, prompting cheers so loud it seemed as if Miami had taken the lead.
Whether he did it on purpose or not, Messi taunted the home fans by taking off his number and then turning it around and putting it back on.
Just a few meters from where Messi was warming up, his teammate Ryan Sailor clumsily attacked Cabral and eliminated the difficult winger. It was an obvious penalty on the stroke of half-time and Navarro fired mercilessly.
Despite being a goal behind, the atmosphere changed completely when Messi appeared at half-time. The hope of a comeback filled the stands and filtered to the field of play.
He brought calm and control to a performance that had been erratic. They were better with the ball, kept it for long stretches, and started taking the Rapids defense places they didn’t want to go.
Then came his goal: a shot that we have seen countless times but whose execution remains almost inexplicable.
Franco Negri was released on the left and sent a pass around the edge of the area. Messi had already moved away from his defender and, for the first time, hit the post.
Three minutes later, Miami took the lead. Somehow, Messi was allowed acres of space in the middle of the field. He took the ball and played in an overlap with Ruiz, who was attacking from the right.
Inter Miami transformed when Messi came on and caused problems for the Rapids defense.
A woman ran onto the pitch to take a selfie with Messi before security quickly intervened.
As with the first goal, the full-back made a cross goal pass and there was Leo Afonso, who shot on goal for his first goal with the Miami first team.
The introductions of Busquets and Alba further complicated matters for the Rapids, whose former Manchester United coach Chris Armas is probably still wondering how his team failed so easily.
More opportunities came for Miami. Messi weaved in and out of defenders before unleashing a fierce shot at goal. He saw a free kick go just over the crossbar.
But then came the low blow. The Rapids broke quickly and Bassett was on the receiving end of a perfectly weighted pass. He fired back on goal into the corner to snatch a point.
Despite an army of security guards on the field, a pair of fans entered the field in the final minutes in separate incidents. One took a selfie with Messi, the other was deleted so quickly that he barely had time to grab his phone.
While Messi’s return was cause for celebration for Miami, it turned out to be another costly night for Martino due to his injury problems. returning to his seven-game preseason world tour, he got worse.
They were already without seven players here, but lost Leo Campana late in the first half with what appeared to be a hamstring problem and Alfonso a few minutes after his second-half goal. It is not ideal in in the middle of a grueling stretch of five games in 15 days.
As Messi showed tonight, Miami is a completely different team when he is on the field. But, at the age of 36, keeping him healthy is a battle they will face all season long.