Lionel Messi's Free Kick Sparks Inter Miami Comeback, Hands NYCFC First Loss in 3-2 Win

New York City FC had the lead, the crowd and two whole minutes to enjoy it. Then Lionel Messi stood over a free kick, and the Bronx got a reminder of how quickly a Sunday afternoon can turn.

Messi's deflected free kick tied the game in the 61st minute, center back Micael headed in the winner in the 74th, and Inter Miami CF came from behind to beat NYCFC 3-2 in front of 45,845 at Yankee Stadium. It was New York City's first loss of the season, and it came days after Miami's midweek Concacaf Champions Cup elimination against Nashville SC, according to MLS.

A Fast Start and a Faster Answer

Miami struck almost immediately, in the third minute. Telasco Segovia's shot after a corner was blocked, and Gonzalo Luján pounced on the loose ball, firing a right-footed shot from the center of the box into the bottom right corner. Both the AP and Miami said it was the first goal of the 21-year-old defender's career.

Miami's front line kept coming. Matt Freese saved from Mateo Silvetti and Messi in the eighth minute, and Segovia fired over moments later. NYCFC's answer arrived out of nowhere in the 17th, when Nicolás Fernández struck a left-footed free kick into the top left corner. The AP counted it as his fifth goal of the season.

From there, the first half belonged to Messi and the woodwork. He hit the left post from outside the box in the 31st minute, forced Freese into a save in the 36th, and then smacked the crossbar with another long-range effort in the 42nd. Freese also denied Silvetti from the six-yard box in that same minute. Somehow it was 1-1 at halftime.

Two Goals in Two Minutes

NYCFC finally broke through in the 59th minute. On a fast break, Maxi Moralez slipped a through ball behind the Miami defense, and Agustín Ojeda finished right-footed into the bottom right corner for 2-1. The AP said it was Ojeda's second goal of the season.

The lead lasted two minutes. Moralez was booked in the 61st minute, and in the same minute Messi stepped up and drilled a left-footed free kick that took a deflection on its way past Freese. Miami called it his fourth goal of the regular season. MLS counted it as his 54th career MLS goal and the 901st of his career.

The Turning Point

That free kick was the hinge. NYCFC had just done the hard part, taking the lead against a Miami side that would finish with twice as many shots, and Messi wiped it out almost instantly. Thirteen minutes later, Miami finished the job. After a corner, Noah Allen whipped a cross in from the left and Micael rose to head it from the right side of the box into the bottom left corner for 3-2. The AP said the move started from a Messi corner, and Miami said it was Micael's first goal for the club and Allen's second assist of the league campaign.

NYCFC pushed late. Freese himself went up for a corner and headed high and wide in the 90th minute, a Talles Magno shot was blocked, and in stoppage time Aiden O'Neill got his head to a Fernández cross from the left side of the six-yard box. Dayne St. Clair got down to save it, and that was the last real chance.

Messi, Micael and the Men in Goal

Messi was the engine all afternoon: nine shots, four on target, a post, a crossbar and the equalizer. It's the kind of stat line that makes defenders change their weekend plans.

Micael and Luján deserve plenty of credit for the scoreline, too. Two center backs, two goals, and both, according to Miami, the first goals of their Inter Miami careers. When your defenders are outscoring your forwards, you take it and run.

Freese kept NYCFC in it with five saves, including three on Messi. At the other end, St. Clair made three, and the late stop on O'Neill was the one that sealed the points.

Miami defender Ian Fray framed the bounce-back perfectly in his Apple TV interview, as reported by MLS. "We say that really good teams don't lose two games in a row," Fray said. "I mean, we didn't lose, but it felt like a loss; we're out of the tournament."

Stats That Matter

• Shots: Miami 22, NYCFC 11. On target, Miami led 8 to 5.
• Possession: Miami 53.7 percent.
• Saves: Freese 5, St. Clair 3.
• Tackles: NYCFC made 28 and won 16, Miami won 6 of 10.
• Clearances: Miami 22, NYCFC 8.

What It Means

Both clubs sit at 3-1-1 with 10 points after five matches. For NYCFC, the defeat ends a three-game winning streak that included a 5-0 rout of Orlando and a 3-1 win over Colorado. Next up is a home date with St. Louis CITY SC on April 4.

Miami are now unbeaten in four league matches since losing their opener at LAFC, and every one of their five MLS games so far has come on the road. That changes after the international break, when Miami host Austin FC on April 4 in what the club calls the historic inaugural match at Nu Stadium.

The AP also noted that NYCFC leads the all-time series 7-4-4, though Miami has gone 3-0-4 in the last seven meetings.

Head coach Javier Mascherano praised his group's response. "The team and the players showed great character to come back and turn the game around," he said.

He also had a philosophical take on the noise around his team. "Sometimes you win, and the people make you believe you are beautiful," Mascherano said. "When you lose, you are a monster."

Closing Take

This was a classic Messi episode: the woodwork teases you for an hour, the free kick lands like a plot twist you saw coming and still couldn't stop, and the supporting cast delivers the payoff. Fray summed up the attitude. "The mentality is we lose a game, we're going to go win the next game and show everyone we're still champions." On Sunday, in the Bronx, they did exactly that.

Stats from ESPN's match data. Postgame quotes as reported by MLSsoccer.com and Inter Miami CF; additional notes from the AP recap via ESPN.