IN A RAIN-DELAYED ENCOUNTER, MESSI SCORES TWICE FOR INTER MIAMI.

After the start of the Leagues Cup match against Orlando City on Wednesday night was delayed by 95 minutes due to thunderstorms, Lionel Messi scored in his third straight game and had his second consecutive multi-goal effort for Inter Miami.

Messi opened the scoring seven minutes into the game and added a second goal in the 72nd.

For the first, he intercepted Robert Taylor’s ball on his chest, moved a few yards toward the edge of the six-yard box, and fired a shot that went under the crossbar.

Inter Miami already leads the Round of 32 game 1-0 thanks to the goal. 11 minutes later, Orlando raised the level.

After receiving a centering pass from Josef Martinez, Messi scored again to give Inter Miami a 3-1 lead. His right-footed drive went inside the left post.

Early in the second half, Messi was struck by Orlando’s Mauricio Pereyra, giving Inter Miami another worry. For a few minutes, Messi held his jaw while remaining on the ground.

Messi was issued a yellow card for the first time when playing for Inter Miami in the 21st minute for a harsh foul.

The storms prevented the game from starting when it was supposed to at 8 o’clock. 45 minutes prior to the game’s scheduled start, Messi and his teammates arrived on the field to warm up. Twenty minutes later, the heavy rain started.

The players reappeared for a second round of pregame warm-ups after the stadium personnel cleaned up water pools in the midfield area.

Since joining the MLS team, Messi has played in two League Cup games without seeing adverse weather. In a triumph against Atlanta United, he contributed two goals in addition to the game-winning goal against Cruz Azul.

Jordi Alba, a former teammate of Messi’s at Barcelona, also made his Inter Miami debut.

Lionel Messi does it again for his new club… another brace, another victory! ⚽️⚽️

👉 5 goals for Inter Miami (3 games)
👉 709 all time club goals
👉 812 senior career goals

Inter Miami go through to the Leagues Cup Round of 16!