Messi scores twice in Miami comeback victory over Orlando City

[p]Reigning MLS champions [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/inter-miami/0AheRyBg/"]Miami[/a], beaten in their season-opener last week, looked to be heading for another defeat after dominant [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/orlando-city/rsHkUNCo/"]Orlando[/a] raced into a [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/inter-miami-0AheRyBg/orlando-city-rsHkUNCo/?mid=EBlq99Da"]2-0[/a] first-half lead in front of their home fans.[/p][p]Croatian international winger [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/pasalic-marco/6wSPewNt/"]Marco Pasalic[/a] opened the scoring after 18 minutes, sweeping in a low finish from [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/angulo-ivan/2wLx0Osd/"]Ivan Angulo[/a]'s cross after Miami gave away possession in midfield.[/p][p]Orlando made it 2-0 six minutes later after a surging run from right back [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/dorsey-griffin/joYyh3gO/"]Griffin Dorsey[/a], who laid off into the path of Argentine striker Martin Ojeda to bury the finish.[/p][embed guid="c29f2e23-05de-434f-b0fe-2968abad9218" url="https://x.com/MLS/status/2028268777981260210?s=20" social-type="twitter" /][p]Miami rallied and both [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/messi-lionel/vgOOdZbd/"]Messi[/a] and Argentina international team-mate Rodrigo DePaul went close to pulling a goal back midway through the first half.[/p][p]De Paul saw his rasping long-range effort parried away from Orlando's Canadian international goalkeeper [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/crepeau-maxime/bTqrxMoS/"]Maxime Crepeau[/a] in the 28th minute. Crepeau then pulled off another superb save to deny Messi inside the area moments later.[/p][p]Yet the game was transformed after half-time, with substitute [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/silvetti-mateo/fii0gkZk/"]Mateo Silvetti[/a] giving Miami a lifeline with[a href="https://x.com/MLS/status/2028280149771272600/video/1" target="_blank"] a 25-yard screamer[/a] in the 49th minute.[/p][p]Messi then made it 2-2 eight minutes later, gathering the ball on the edge of the area and whipping a left-foot shot past Crepeau.[/p][embed guid="e0ccf72c-80be-4ed2-bfce-d9d59d406167" url="https://x.com/MLS/status/2028282429492912137?s=20" social-type="twitter" /][p]The Argentine maestro was then instrumental in putting Miami 3-2 up in the 85th minute, laying off a deft pass for [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/segovia-telasco/MiX2hxf7/"]Telasco Segovia[/a] to finish into the corner.[/p][p]Messi then put the icing on the comeback in the 90th minute, his low, long-range free-kick sneaking beneath Crepeau to make it 4-2.[/p][p]He now has 52 goals in 55 MLS games.[/p][embed guid="01aeca16-4e56-41ba-926a-ddedc62d2160" url="https://x.com/MLS/status/2028291162331664736?s=20" social-type="twitter" /]