Lionel Messi scored twice and received his first-ever MLS yellow card in Inter Miami’s 3-1 win over Orlando City on Wednesday night. Inter Miami improved to 2-0 with Messi in the starting lineup and 3-0 since he first appeared with the club.
After a 90-minute rain delay, it only took Messi took seven minutes to make his mark against Orlando City.
Messi capitalized on a beautiful feed from Robert Taylor to help his squad take a 1-0 lead in their Leagues Cup game against Orlando City at DRV PNK Stadium. The Inter Miami star scored again in 72’ to give Inter Miami some added breathing room in the win.
ANOTHER MESSI BRACE ✔️
Messi makes it a 3-1 lead for #InterMiamiCF pic.twitter.com/8abWvRIeHj
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) August 3, 2023
Messi Appoints Josef Martinez To Take Penalty Kick
With the score tied at 1-1, Inter Miami was awarded a penalty kick and just about everyone in the stadium knew what was going to happen next.
However, fans were stunned when Messi opted to give the opportunity to another teammate.
Messi seemed to tell Josef Martinez to step up and take the penalty. Ultimately, it turned out to be the right decision, as the 2018 MLS MVP buried the shot into the lower left corner of the net.
Martinez earned the kick by being pulled down in the box. For a moment, it appeared that Martinez was only holding the ball until Messi eventually stepped up to take the shot, but that wasn’t the case.
Messi Gets First MLS Yellow Card vs Orlando City
Messi’s arrival in the U.S. has been nothing short of remarkable but opponents have yet to see how fiercely competitive the Argentian star can be.
Orlando City got its first taste of Messi’s fire in Wednesday’s 3-1 loss vs Inter Miami.
Messi ran behind and appeared to trip Orlando City’s Wilder Cartagena, whose embellishment after the play led to a yellow card.
For Messi, it was his first MLS card ever and he contested the call about as relentlessly as he pursued the ball.
Messi just got a yellow card 😳⚠️ pic.twitter.com/EYfepO5DzR
— PointsBet Sportsbook (@PointsBetUSA) August 3, 2023
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