Messi Scored Twice in Denver and Miami Just Won the Second-Biggest MLS Crowd Ever
Lionel Messi put on a show in front of 75,824 screaming fans at Empower Field at Mile High, bagging a brace as Inter Miami escaped Denver with a 3-2 win over the Colorado Rapids on Saturday. This wasn't just any crowd either. This was the second-largest attendance in MLS history, and Messi made sure everyone who paid to be there got their money's worth.
Messi's Penalty Started It All
Miami went up 1-0 in the 18th minute when Colorado goalkeeper Zack Steffen's pass got picked off by Yannick Bright. Josh Atencio came down hard on the play and earned a yellow card after video review. Messi stepped up to the spot and buried it down the middle, cool as you'd expect from a guy who's done this about a thousand times before.
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👉 Claim Your Free $10 at KalshiBefore the half even ended, Inter Miami extended the lead to 2-0 in the fifth minute of stoppage time. Messi started the sequence with a tight pass to Rodrigo De Paul, who fed Mateo Silvetti on a run toward the endline. Silvetti's inward-spinning cross found German Berterame rising above the Colorado defense, and he headed it under the bar for 2-0.
Colorado Fought Back, Then Messi Finished It
Rafael Navarro pulled one back in the 58th minute with a step-over move that opened up space for a shot that tucked inside the left post. Then in the 62nd minute, second-half sub Darren Yapi equalized off a direct pass from Lucas Herrington, blasting one past Miami goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair.
That's when Messi took over. In the 79th minute, he picked up the ball just inside midfield and nobody touched him until he reached the box. He uncorked a blast into the upper left corner for the go-ahead goal that held up for the win. Miami had to finish the match playing with 10 men after Bright got sent off with a red card in the 87th minute, but they held on.
Miami improves to 4-1-3 with 15 points. Colorado drops to 4-4-0 with 12 points. That Empower Field crowd will be talking about this one for a while.
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