Inter Miami captain Lionel Messi made his mark on a historic occasion for the team, finding the net against Austin FC in the USL early on Sunday morning.
Messi scored Inter Miami’s first goal in the team’s debut match at the new ‘NU Stadium’, which features a stand named after the Argentine star, but Austin spoiled the celebrations by securing a valuable 2-2 draw.
It took Messi just 10 minutes to score Inter Miami’s goal with a header, though this was not the first goal at the stadium, as Austin defender Guilherme Piro had opened the scoring in the sixth minute.
Austin scored a second goal early in the second half, after Messi lost possession on the edge of the penalty area, with the ball quickly finding its way to Jaden Nelson, who slotted it home.
Messi tried to make amends as Inter Miami stepped up the pressure, but he was thwarted by the brilliance of goalkeeper Brad Stover, who saved his attempts.
In the end, it was star player Luis Suárez who saved Inter Miami from defeat, scoring the equaliser nine minutes before full-time from a corner, just minutes after coming on as a substitute.
Messi almost gave his side the win in the dying moments, but his free-kick struck the post, denying the fans a perfect finish at the 26,700-capacity stadium, which they had been waiting to see open for a long time.
With this result, Inter Miami extended their unbeaten run to five consecutive matches in the US league, whilst Austin continued their run of poor results for a fourth consecutive match without a win.
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An amazing stadium
Mascherano said after the match, in comments highlighted by the American network ESPN: "It’s an amazing stadium, world-class. The fans were fantastic, and the stadium was completely full."
This is Inter Miami’s first home match since winning the MLS title last season, and their first in Miami after more than six years of playing in Fort Lauderdale.
Club owner David Beckham had been waiting for this moment since 2013, when he chose Miami as the home of his team as part of the deal that brought him to the MLS. The project was officially announced in 2014.
Before kick-off, most of the seats were filled, and Beckham came out with the club’s owners to greet the fans in a distinctive celebratory atmosphere, which included musical performances by the artist Marc Anthony.
Brazilian legend Ronaldo, Beckham’s former teammate at Real Madrid, was also in attendance.