The football legend reaches the final again! Messi scores twice to equalize and then take the lead as Inter Miami overturns Orlando City 3-1.

At 8:30 AM Beijing time on August 28th, the Leagues Cup semifinal featured Inter Miami playing at home against Orlando City.

In the first half, Evin missed a one-on-one chance, Messi persistently challenged defenders, Falken’s clearance error gifted a chance, and Pasalic broke the deadlock, leaving Inter Miami trailing 0-1 at halftime; in the second half, D. Brekalo received a second yellow card turning into a red and was sent off, giving Inter Miami a numerical advantage. Allende won a penalty, Messi converted it to equalize, Alaba hit the post, then Messi scored again to put Miami ahead, and in stoppage time Suarez assisted Trascaco to seal the victory.

In the end, Inter Miami completed a 3-1 comeback win over Orlando City, advancing smoothly to the Leagues Cup final!

Inter Miami vs Orlando City,Mascherano lined up a 4-2-3-1 formation with Suarez upfront, Messi behind him, De Paul and B. Rodriguez on the wings, Braithwaite and Busquets as holding midfielders, a back four of Frey, Luyan, Falken, and Alba, and Ustari in goal; the starting lineup’s total market value was 57.9 million euros.Orlando City also deployed a 4-2-3-1 formation, with a starting lineup valued at 28.2 million euros.

In this match, Inter Miami still faced old problems: disorganized defense and Suarez’s aging form, whose awareness remained but physical ability declined, resulting in no focal point or pace in attack; the defense remained fragile, conceding due to a defender’s mistake before halftime. The turning point came in the 75th minute when Orlando City’s left-back D. Brekalo was sent off after a second yellow card, leaving Miami with a man advantage while trailing 0-1. Yet Messi stepped up again—after Allende earned a penalty, Messi converted it to equalize, then scored again assisted by Alba to take the lead. In the final moments, Suarez’s clever assist helped Trascaco score in stoppage time to seal the win. Ultimately, Messi once again played like a true star, scoring twice to orchestrate a stunning comeback, leading Inter Miami to a 3-1 victory over Orlando City and another Leagues Cup final appearance, with Messi aiming for another title.

After the match, Messi received the highest rating of 9, followed by Alba with 8.2.

Throughout the game, Inter Miami held 59% possession, with 14 shots and 6 on target; Orlando City had 11 shots with 4 on target.