Messi scores twice, Inter Miami advances to Leagues Cup quarters with win over Dallas

Lionel Messi got his first taste of life on the road with Inter Miami on Sunday night. The Argentine star was unfazed by the raucous reception he received in Dallas and once again dazzled in a thrilling comeback victory that ended 4-4 in regulation, went to penalty kicks, included an own goal by each team and three goals over a five-minute second-half stretch.

With the win, Miami advanced to the Leagues Cup quarterfinals and will host the next game Friday night at DRV PNK Stadium against the winner of Monday’s game between the Houston Dynamo and Charlotte FC.

Messi scored on a left-footed blast in the sixth minute to give Miami the early lead over FC Dallas, his sixth goal in four games and the third game in a row Messi scored in the first eight minutes. Plenty of “Messi! Messi!” chants could be heard from the sellout crowd at Toyota Stadium.

And then, in the 85^th minute, with Miami down 4-3 and facing elimination, Messi pulled another magic trick from his hat, launching a curling free kick from just outside the box into the upper right corner to tie the score 4-4.

Miami rallied twice from down 3-1 and 4-2 to force the penalty kick shootout. Messi, Sergio Busquets, Leo Campana, Kamal Miller converted the first four PKs for Miami and then, in a gutsy move, coach Tata Martino sent 18-year-old Key Biscayne resident Benjamin Cremaschi out to take the fifth and decisive kick.

The fearless teenager walked up, calmly put the shot away and then roared and pumped his fist. Cremaschi, an Argentine-American who grew up idolizing Messi, was already having a good night after scoring a go-ahead goal on his first touch after entering the game in the 64^th minute. The PK was the exclamation mark.

“I spoke to Benja, and he was confident and convinced that he could make it,” Martino said about his decision to give Cremaschi the fifth penalty kick. “He had played only 30 minutes, so he was fresh, and we saw in those minutes that he was playing with a lot of confidence.”

Inter Miami players celebrated at midfield, sprinted toward Cremaschi and swarmed him in a giant group hug.

“We are very happy to have come back from 4-2 and this win demonstrated the character of this team,” said Martino. “They didn’t lower their shoulders. We rely on the best player in the world, and he can be lethal.”

Cremaschi’s goal in regulation gave Miami a 3-2 lead. Jordi Alba, making his first start at left back, had the assist, one of two he had on the night.

“This is our house! This is our house!” the Dallas fans chanted as the home team widened its lead to 4-2 after a 68^th minute Robert Taylor own goal.

Then, 12 minutes later, Dallas player Marco Farfan headed in an own goal as he tried to clear a Messi free kick from just outside the box to close to gap to one goal.

A few hundred Messi fans were waiting on the street outside the team hotel when Inter Miami’s team bus arrived from the airport Saturday afternoon led by a police escort. A security perimeter was set up around the hotel entrance and an ESPN video showed one fan in a pink Inter Miami shirt waving an Argentine flag being detained as he breached the barricade and ran toward the bus when Messi disembarked.

The 20,000 seats at Toyota Stadium were sold out within 15 minutes of tickets going on sale, and many fans wore Messi No. 10 shirts from Inter Miami, Argentina, and FC Barcelona. They chanted “Messi! Messi!” while the rest of the stadium chanted “FC Dallas! FC Dallas!” and the FC Dallas brass band played.

It was a scorching 101 degrees at kickoff in Fricso, Texas, and an excessive heat warning was issued. It was sizzling in the stands, too.

Dallas fans got loud after Messi scored, a mix of cheers and boos, and the building got louder when Messi’s countryman Facundo Quignon equalized for the home team in the 37^th minute.

Dallas went ahead late in the first half on a goal by Tanzanian refugee Bernard Kamungo. U.S. national team forward Jesus Ferreira pulled back after a counter and crossed it to Kamungo, who dribbled past Serhiy Kryvtsov, Kamal Miller and Dixon Arroyo.

It was the first time since Messi joined the team that Miami trailed at halftime.

Trailing 4-3, Messi took a free kick outside the box from the right corner after Robert Taylor was taken down. He stepped up and put the shot away with a strike to the upper corner reminiscent of his game winner against Cruz Azul in his Inter Miami debut.

“We are fortunate to have him, he showed what a tremendous player he is,” Martino said. “There is always a chance you will get a free kick from that area, and when Messi is the one taking it, it feels like there is a 90 percent chance he will score from there.”

FC Dallas coach Nico Estevez added: “For Messi, a free kick is like a penalty kick for other players... You have to pray that the ball goes out of bounds or he fell in the run to kick the ball...Having him in this league will make other players better. You could see many of our FC Dallas players raised to their best level in this game. It is not that other players are not good players, it is about having more opportunities to play against great players.”

Miami and Dallas had played once before this season, a 1-0 Dallas win in April, but this Miami team underwent a massive overhaul since then. The starting lineup Sunday included six players who were not in the lineup then: Messi, Busquets, Alba, Diego Gomez, Kamal Miller, and Dixon Arroyo.