Colorado held Inter Miami to draw irrespective of Messi’s Impact from bench

Lionel Messi made a notable impact off the bench, scoring for Inter Miami, but they were unable to secure a victory as they drew 2-2 against the Colorado Rapids in Major League Soccer on Saturday.

After being sidelined for nearly a month due to a hamstring injury, Messi returned to action as a substitute for the home game, having missed the last four matches. Despite his absence, Inter Miami suffered a 2-1 defeat at home to Monterrey in the CONCACAF Champions Cup quarter-final earlier in the week, prompting coach Gerard Martino to rotate the squad. Martino opted for a largely second-string lineup, including Messi’s former Barcelona teammates Luis Suarez, Sergio Busquets, and Jordi Alba on the bench.

Although the youthful starting XI appeared comfortable, they fell behind just before halftime when defender Ryan Sailor conceded a penalty with a reckless challenge on Colorado’s Kevin Cabral in the box. Colorado’s Rafael Navarro capitalized on the opportunity to give his team a 1-0 lead at halftime.

Messi was brought on in the second half and quickly made an impact, equalizing for Inter Miami with a goal just 12 minutes after entering the field. He met Franco Negri’s low cross from the left and fired home off the inside of the post. Subsequently, Busquets was introduced, and Inter Miami took the lead on the hour mark, with Messi initiating a counter-attack from midfield, setting up David Ruiz whose cross was calmly converted by debutant Leonardo Afonso.

Despite Messi’s efforts, Inter Miami failed to secure a third goal, and in the 88th minute, they conceded an equalizer when Calvin Harris led a counter-attack for Colorado, finding Cole Bassett who slotted home the equalizing goal