Lionel Messi was back on the scoresheet for Inter Miami on Sunday, notching the team’s equalizer in the first half of their MLS game against Toronto FC thanks to an impressive strike with his left foot.
Telasco Segovia danced around Toronto’s defense in the fifth minute of first-half stoppage time before passing the ball to Messi on the edge of the penalty area. The World Cup winner took a touch and let the ball bounce up for control as it came down. Messi then spun and struck the ball fiercely with his left foot, sending it into the bottom right corner of the goal.

Take a look at the goal below, which earned Miami a point in a 1-1 draw.

IMMEDIATE RESPONSE FROM MESSI. 💥
What a strike to pull it level in South Florida. pic.twitter.com/FAbGekqfAI
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) April 7, 2025 Before Messi scored, Miami’s Gonzalo Lujan was suspected of committing a handball, but the refereeing team did not review the incident.
Messi’s goal came swiftly after Miami conceded the game’s opening goal just three minutes earlier. Toronto, positioned second to last in the Eastern Conference, managed to play competitively against Miami and scored first with a goal from Federico Bernardeschi.
Miami outshot Toronto 12-8 in the first half, but the visitors created more significant scoring chances, surpassing the 2024 Supporters Shield winners in expected goals by a margin of 1.88 to 0.49. Notably, about 20 minutes before his goal, Messi had another shot on target that was ruled out due to a foul.

This strike marked Messi’s third of the season in MLS and his sixth across all competitions.