Inter Miami vs LA Galaxy HIGHLIGHTS, MLS updates: Messi’s late goal snatches 1-1 draw for MIA v LA

Final attempt from Miami as Messi sends a long lofted ball towards Alba on the left flank. He gets a wonderful first touch but there are two defenders to intercept and clear the ball away as the referee blows the final whistle! WHAT A GAME! 

AND MIAMI CAPITALISES THE MAN ADVANTAGE AND WHO ELSE BUT THE CAPTAIN HIMSELF! MESSI EQUALISES! The Alba-Messi combo does the trick

Seven added minutes! 

THAT’s A SECOND YELLOW FOR DELGADO AND LA ARE DOWN TO 10 MEN! 

Delgado is booked for his tackle on Busquets

OUT: Paintsil, IN: Aguirre; OUT: Jovelic, IN: Berry

Looks like Gomez has hurt his knee. The medical team comes in to attend him and this looks bad as he is struggling to move his right leg. He is taken off the field for assessment but there’s no substitution yet. Miami will have to manage with 10 men

IN: Nelson, OUT: Aude

AND LA GALAXY FINALLY FINDS THE BREAKTHROUGH! CALLENDER DID HIS BEST TO SAVE A SHOT FROM PAINTSIL but Jovelic slots it past the keeper! Wait a minute, there’s a VAR check for a potential offside. Jovelic is clearly onside but the point of contention is for Delgado, who gave the assist. And the check is complete, the goal stands! 

Pec makes a long run on the right flank. Gets near the box but Gomez is there to intercepts. Pec falls down after the challenge and appeals for a foul but the referee thinks otherwise

OUT: Fagundez, IN: Pec

Messi is fouled by Cerrillo and it’s a free kick for Miami. Could be interesting as it is a set piece situation. Messi hits the wall, Gomez gets the ball on the rebound and shoots but McCarthy makes yet another big save to deny a goal but it wouldn’t have mattered since the linesman raises his flag

IN: Campana, OUT: Suarez; IN: Ruiz OUT: Taylor

Now that’s just unlucky! Yamane gets the ball inside the box and shoots. He beats Callender but the ball rattles the post! 

Free kick for LA. Fagundez takes it as usual and sends one deep inside the box towards Jovelic, who fumbles and it looks like Gressel had something to do with it. LA players surround the referee demanding a penalty! VAR check is complete and there won’t be a penalty as a there were no conclusive evidence that Gressel hampered the attack

Gressel lobs one inside the box towards Suarez but it is headed outside the box. Messi gets it on the rebound and shoots but it is deflected away for a corner. Nothing comes off it

Fagundo floats one inside the box but Busquets rises above everyone else and heads it clear

Fagundo with a superb ball inside the box but Callender makes an equally impressive save! Eventually, LA get another free kick on the right flank

Paintsil is brought down by Taylor and stays on the ground for a while in pain. The medical team rushes in to attend him but he’s back on his feet quickly. Free kick for LA

Jovelic gets a superb through ball from Delgado. The former then advances into the box and tries to cross it towards Paintsil but Calender intercepts

Alba is booked for dissent. He argued with the referee regarding a foul on Busquets

Alba makes an impressive run on the left and goes near the box. He sends a through ball towards Gomez, who has just McCarthy between him and the goal but the keeper stands his ground and saves it

Inter Miami gets the ball rolling as the second half begins

An eventful first half comes to an end. Do not be fooled by the nil-nil scoreline since the first 45 minutes were as dramatic as one would expect. Callender single handedly has kept Miami in the game with some brilliant saves, including a penalty save off Puig. Miami has a lot of thinking to do during the break

One added minute

Paintsel tries to find the back of the net from a long way out but the shot is off target. A chance gone begging as he had a lot of space ahead of him to work with. He complains to the referee regarding a potential deflection but the official thinks otherwise

Suarez earns another corner for Miami. Gressel goes short towards Alba. The latter then sends it back to Gressel, who sends a searching cross inside the box but McCarthy grabs it without much trouble

Corner for Miami. Gressel sends one into the middle but it’s too easy for McCarthy, who punches it away without trouble

Messi and Busquets combine near the edge of the box to create problems for the LA defense. Messi then finds Yedlin inside the box on the right, who tries to shoot it in but gets intercepted and the ball is finally cleared away

Paintsil wins yet another free kick for LA. There’s a bit of commotion between the players and it looks like notorious duo of Busquets and Suarez were the reason for it. Quick free kick taken but nothing substantial happens as LA is forced to track back

Suarez’ attempt to find Messi at the edge of the box is intercepted and paves way for a quick counter from LA. Yet again, Paintsil and Puig combine to take the ball towards the final third. Puig then tries to finish from outside the box but it’s an easy save for Callender

Caceres tries to clear a lofted ball from Busquets but gives it away to Messi. The latter then smacks it towards goal but McCarthy dives to punch it away

Yet another corner for LA as Alba’s clearance goes past the away line. Fagundez serves it in, Yoshida heads it only for a defender to clear it. Puig collects the ball on the rebound at the edge of the box and shoots in an attempt to find the top left corner but CALLENDER MAKES YET ANOTHER WONDERFUL SAVE! What a game ge’s been having! 

Puig finds a way to skip past Busquets and moves towards the box. He has a shy at goal from a long way out but miscues it pretty badly. Goal kick for Miami

Corner for LA. Fagundez floats one inside the box but there’s no one to claim it. Cleared away

Paintsil, from the right flank, finds Yamane inside the box. The latter then tries to give it back to Paintsil but two defenders converge on to the ball and clear it with ease

Fagundez serves it inside the box. Yoshida finds it with his head but fails to keep the shot on target

Busquets is booked for a rash tackle on Paintsil in an attempt to mend his mistake as he gave away an easy ball. Free kick for LA

Suarez and Busquets have been a bit passive agressive towards the referee for a while now. Last time it was for the yellow card for Gressel just before the penalty and this time it is for a foul on Puig. The former Barcelona duo have to be careful going forward

Aude gets the ball inside the box on the left and tries to find Cerrillo to his right but Yedlin is there to intercept

Messi gets the ball at the edge of the box. He tries his best to maintain possession but there are far too many defenders surrounding him. He then gives it to Gressel on the right flank, who deals with a similar problem and is forced to back track

Puig gets ready to take the kick and CALLENDER DIVES TO PERFECTION AND SAVES IT! What a moment in the match! 

Puig from the edge of the box, sends it foward towards Paintsil. The latter is then pushed down by Busquets inside the box! PENALTY FOR LA!

Corner for Miami. Messi leaves it for Gressel. The Argentine gets it back and tries to find Taylor inside the box but two defenders intercept and it’s a quick counter from LA. Fagundez breaks free and makes a run towards the other side but he’s unable to find any white outfits ahead of him and the attack waters down

Busquets is brought down by Puig and it’s a free kick for Miami. Quickly taken and there’s a quick transition on the right flank as Messi finds Gressel. But before anything could happen, the ball is cleared away

Los Angeles has started off quite well. It has been bossing the midfield, controlling the game with ease

Drama straightaway! Fagundez slots one past Callender and LA starts to celebrate the goal but a foul is given against them. Replays show that Busquets was fouled by Puig at the edge of the box! 

When will Inter Miami vs LA Galaxy match start?

The MLS match between Inter Miami vs LA Galaxy will kick off on February 22, 2024 at 7:30 a.m. IST. 

Where to watch the Inter Miami vs LA Galaxy match in India?

The MLS match between Inter Miami vs LA Galaxy will not be broadcast in India. The match can be live streamed on Apple TV with an MLS season pass. There will be no other live streams in India.

The sides have met just once in the MLS. LA Galaxy went on to win the clash 3-2 during the 2021-22 season.

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Inter Miami CF have a victory under their belts while the Los Angeles Galaxy are focused on getting off to a strong start.

The Galaxy face a stern test for an opening-game opponent when they entertain Inter Miami on Sunday night at Carson, Calif.

Inter Miami started its season with a 2-0 home victory over Real Salt Lake on Wednesday night. Robert Taylor and Diego Gomez scored the goals while Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez had assists.

Suarez and Messi were teammates for six seasons (2014-20) for FC Barcelona and are aiming to produce a championship run with the Herons.

“It’s a title the club hasn’t won yet,” Suarez said of the MLS Cup. “That’s the goal, that’s the challenge for me and the whole team.”

Inter Miami coach Gerardo “Tata” Martino said the Messi-Suarez reunion is a work in progress. Martino, who coached Messi in Barcelona for the 2013-14 campaign, feels the chemistry between the two will eventually click.

“Every training session helps players get to know each other better,” Martino said. “They know each other, a lot, but they have to rediscover that partnership that worked at Barcelona.”

Messi took five shots against Real Salt Lake with three on target. Both of Suarez’s shots were on target.

The Galaxy (8-14-12, 36 points in 2023) are looking to bounce back from a miserable season that marked their second losing campaign in four seasons.

That led to an offseason makeover that included the departures of three forwards -- captain Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez returned to Chivas in Guadalajara, Tyler Boyd was traded to Nashville SC and Douglas Costa is now with Brazilian club Fluminense.

Earlier this week, goalkeeper Jonathan Bond and the club mutually parted ways. Former MLS Cup MVP John McCarthy was signed in the offseason and will be the No. 1 man in goal.

One key offseason acquisition was bringing in forward Gabriel Pec from Brazilian side Vasco da Gama for a $10 million transfer fee. Another deal involved a $9 million transfer fee to land forward Joseph Paintsil from Genk in Belgium.

Midfielder Riqui Puig, who scored seven goals last season to tie Boyd for the team lead, saw the spending and knew what it meant, especially with coach Greg Vanney in the final season of a four-year contract.

“This year we no longer have excuses,” Puig told reporters. “We have to produce our best football. It’s a very important year for us, for the players, for the club and for the coach.”