Lionel Messi's stunning free kick helps Inter Miami beat Porto at Club World Cup
Lionel Messi scored his first goal of the expanded Club World Cup on an exquisite free kick, lifting Inter Miami to a 2-1 victory over two-time European champion Porto on Thursday.
The Herons trailed 1-0 at the break, but Telasco Segovia tied it two minutes into the second half off a cross into the box from Marcelo Weigandt.
Then it was time for the 37-year-old Argentinian to add a trademark goal to a resume that already assures he'll go down as one of the game's greatest stars.
Samu Omorodion scored on a penalty kick in the opening minutes after a video review for the Portuguese club's first goal of the tournament.
Both teams were held to scoreless draws in their opening Group A matches.
Key moment
Messi was taken down just outside the penalty area by Rodrigo Mora on a run down the middle of the field. The crowd at Mercedes-Benz Stadium was chanting 'Messi!' Messi! Messi!' before his left-footed blast cleared the Porto wall and ripped the net in the top right corner in the 54th minute.
Takeaways
Inter Miami returns to South Florida on Monday, knowing a victory over Brazilian club Palmeiras at Hard Rock Stadium will lock up its spot in the Round of 16. In desperate need of a win, Porto closes out group play against Egypt's Al Ahly at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
What they said
'(Messi) is the player that leads us in the ways we have to compete. His hunger, his resilience, his will to go on competing, at whatever level that may be. In football terms, what else can I add? He's the best player ever to play this sport. But his determination to win is always surprising. Even in the last minutes, when everyone is tired, he continued to support the team in any way he could.' – Inter Miami coach Javier Mascherano.
'What can I say about Messi? I'm not going to say anything that's new. You knows what he's capable of on the pitch.' – Porto coach Martín Anselmi.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Winnipeg Free Press
an hour ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Flamengo scores 3 second-half goals to stun Chelsea 3-1 at the Club World Cup
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Danilo scored the go-ahead goal in the 65th minute and Flamengo scored three second-half goals to move atop its group at the Club World Cup with a 3-1 victory over Chelsea on Friday. Both teams went into the match with three points atop Group D with opening match wins. Flamengo will have to wait to see the results of the late match between LAFC and Esperance to see if it has secured a spot in the knockout round. Pedro Neto gave Chelsea the early lead. The ball bounced off a Flamengo defender and Neto gained control, charging toward the goal before putting it away in the 13th minute. Flamengo drew even in the 62nd on Bruno Henrique's goal on a tap-in in front of the goal. Moments later, the Brazilian giants took the lead off a corner with Danilo's goal. Wallace Yan all but put the game out of reach for the Blues with a goal in the 83rd. The Blues, the 2021 Club World Cup winner, defeated LAFC 2-0 in their opening match in Atlanta. Pedro Neto and Enzo Fernández scored. Luiz Araujo and Giorgian de Arrascaeta scored to lead Flamengo over Esperance 2-0. Former Chelsea defender Filipe Luís currently coaches Flamengo, while former Chelsea midfielder Jorginho made his debut for Flamengo against Esperance. Key Moment Thursdays Keep up to date on sports with Mike McIntyre's weekly newsletter. Down just 2-1, Chelsea still had a chance, but Nicolas Jackson was sent off in the 68th with a straight red just four minutes after replacing Liam Delap, who got his first start for Chelsea after making his debut for the Blues in the tournament opener. Takeaways Flamengo is in good position to move on to the round of 16, but they need a win or a tie by Esperance later on Friday to secure it. Chelsea plays Esperance on Tuesday in Philadelphia while Flamengo plays LAFC in Orlando. ___ AP soccer:
National Post
3 hours ago
- National Post
Pascal Siakam making doubters who wouldn't trade for him look silly in NBA Finals
Hands up if you expected this NBA Finals to go seven games. Article content If you did, you're in select company because most thought the Oklahoma City Thunder would prevail in five games. Article content Article content Sure, there were some Thunder-in-six picks too (and even a sweep for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's squad was a popular play in Vegas), but seven games, nah, wasn't going to happen. Well, the Indiana Pacers had something to say about that and it's winner-take-all on Sunday. Article content In a Willis Reed-like performance, Pacers all-star Tyrese Haliburton, rumoured to have an injury that would have kept him out of a couple of weeks of regular-season action, not only played in Thursday's shocking blowout win, but performed well and inspired his teammates in the process, much like Reed did back in the day for the New York Knicks. Article content The Pacers fed off a raucous crowd that hasn't seen a team reach these heights since the ABA years, when Indiana was the class of the now-defunct league, winning three championships and repeatedly reaching the final. Article content The team has gone 8-3 at home, but that massive advantage is now gone and they'll have to win in Oklahoma City, where the Thunder has gone 10-2 in the playoffs. Article content An impossible task? No, but it's hard to imagine all of the Thunder's best players stinking the way they did in Game 6. Then again, who would have thought this would go seven games!? Article content Article content Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams (coming off a ridiculously impressive 40-point performance), Chet Holmgren (who also starred in Game 5) and Lu Dort (excellent pretty much all series) did not look like themselves. They played like they hadn't been in a game as big as this before (as if big tests by Denver in Round 2 or the big comeback against Indiana earlier never happened). Article content Article content Gilgeous-Alexander tied his career regular-season-high with eight turnovers, Holmgren couldn't hit anything while Williams and Dort also went cold. Article content They didn't move the ball, unlike the Pacers, who didn't even shoot all that well, but were zinging the ball around the court with aplomb and generated 12 more three-point attempts than the visitors. It was a 'your turn, my turn,' sort of performance and that wasn't going to work. Article content The Thunder must get back to sharing and not forcing, and that should lead to better offensive work. (The starters went just 1-for-13 from three so it can't get any worse) and fewer turnovers would help, too. Article content None of the mistakes or results from Game 6 will matter if the Thunder closes its season with a win Sunday. Article content 'It's one game for everything you've dreamed of. You win it you get everything,' Gilgeous-Alexander said late Thursday.
CTV News
3 hours ago
- CTV News
Cubs legend Sammy Sosa returns to Wrigley Field after 20-plus year hiatus
Chicago Cubs manager Craig Counsell talks to the media before a baseball game against the Milwaukee Brewers Thursday, June 19, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/David Banks) CHICAGO — Legendary Cubs slugger Sammy Sosa returned to Wrigley Field for the first time in more than 20 years on Friday before Chicago's afternoon game with the Seattle Mariners. Sosa, who is set to be inducted into the Cubs' team Hall of Fame this year, arrived at the iconic North Side ballpark in a black SUV. He was greeted by owner Tom Ricketts, who embraced him in a hug as he exited the vehicle. Sosa became the face of the Cubs franchise where he played 13 seasons after coming in a trade from the crosstown White Sox in March 1992. A seven-time All-Star, Sosa hit 545 homers in 1,811 games with the Cubs and hit a franchise-record 66 in 1998 when he was named the NL's MVP. Sosa, now 56, played his final game with the Cubs at Wrigley on Oct. 2, 2004, when he homered and had two hits in an 8-6 loss to Atlanta. During his years with the Cubs, Sosa appeared to bulk up drastically and was a headliner in a generation of baseball's biggest names linked to performance-enhancing drugs. The Cubs traded him to Baltimore with cash in February 2005 for three players. Sosa appeared to acknowledge using performance-enhancing drugs in December when he released a statement saying he was sorry for mistakes, without specifying them. 'There were times I did whatever I could to recover from injuries in an effort to keep my strength up to perform over 162 games,' he said in the statement. 'I never broke any laws. But in hindsight, I made mistakes and I apologize.' On Friday morning, Sosa posed for photos with rising Cubs star Pete Crow-Armstrong outside the team's clubhouse and a video showed Sosa embracing manager Craig Counsell in his office before the game. The Cubs remained mum, however, on any ceremony or event before or during Friday's game. In Thursday's 8-7 loss to Milwaukee, Crow-Armstrong went deep to set a new team record for reaching 20 homers and 20-plus stolen stolen bases the fastest, doing it in 73 games. Sosa had the old mark of 96, set in 1994. Matt Carlson, The Associated Press
