Lionel Messi came back at just the right time and made sure Inter Miami is heading to another final.
The Argentine star, sidelined much of this month with a leg injury, scored twice in the last 15 minutes Wednesday night to lead Miami past Orlando City 3-1 in the Leagues Cup semifinals at Chase Stadium in South Florida.
Miami will now face the Seattle Sounders in Sunday’s championship match. Seattle secured their spot with a 2-0 win over the LA Galaxy earlier in the night.
Orlando struck first just before halftime when Marco Pasalic put them ahead 1-0. But Messi answered in the 77th minute, converting a soft penalty to even things up. Eleven minutes later, he struck again. After a sharp feed from Jordi Alba, Messi dribbled once and curled a shot into the far corner, leaving Orlando keeper Pedro Gallese frozen as the ball sailed past.
With the game nearly wrapped up, Telasco Segovia added a stoppage-time goal to seal Miami’s two-goal victory.
Messi had missed most of August with a muscle issue in his right leg. He briefly returned on August 16 against the LA Galaxy and scored, only to appear to aggravate the injury again. Alba had also been sidelined, leaving their status uncertain heading into Wednesday. Both were back in the lineup and looked like their old selves.
This marks Miami’s second straight trip to the Leagues Cup final. The club lifted the trophy last year after beating Nashville SC, shortly after Messi’s arrival.
