FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. – Lionel Messi made a dazzling return from injury on Saturday night, lifting Inter Miami to a 3-1 victory over the visiting LA Galaxy at Chase Stadium with a moment of individual brilliance followed by a sublime assist for longtime teammate Luis Suárez.

Back in action after a two-week absence with a right leg muscle injury, Messi entered as a halftime substitute and turned the game on its head in the closing stages. With the score level at 1-1 and less than 10 minutes to play, the Argentine superstar produced the decisive breakthrough.

In the 84th minute, Messi picked up possession in the Galaxy half, glided past a defender in trademark fashion, and rifled a left-footed strike from the edge of the box into the bottom corner, giving Miami a 2-1 lead. Just five minutes later, he turned provider—receiving a pass from Argentina teammate Rodrigo De Paul before flicking it deftly with his heel into the path of Suárez, who calmly slotted home Miami’s third.

The decisive contributions came even as Messi appeared to manage lingering discomfort, clutching at his hamstring on several occasions. Head coach Javier Mascherano admitted afterward that his captain was far from fully fit.

“He’s an extraordinary player,” Mascherano said. “I could see he wasn’t completely comfortable, but as the minutes went by he loosened up and grew into the game. The important thing is he finished the match—we’ll evaluate how he feels tomorrow and take it day by day.”

The goal and assist pushed Messi to 30 goal contributions in MLS this season (19 goals, 11 assists), making him the first player to hit that milestone in 2025. His 19th strike of the campaign also moved him into first place in the Golden Boot race. Remarkably, the 38-year-old has now scored in four straight appearances as a substitute for Miami.

Earlier in the contest, Jordi Alba opened the scoring in the 43rd minute, finishing a perfectly weighted pass from Sergio Busquets to give Miami the lead. But the defending MLS Cup champion Galaxy, despite their struggles at the bottom of the Western Conference table, responded through Joseph Paintsil’s 59th-minute equalizer.

Saturday’s result carried added weight for Miami, who had stumbled to a 4-1 defeat against Orlando City in Messi’s absence the previous week.

“Vital,” Mascherano said of the win. “If we want to compete until the very end and achieve big things, these details become more and more important as the season goes on.”