Is Messi playing? Inter Miami match vs Montreal live stream, updates
Soccer star Lionel Messi’s Barcelona pre-contract napkin on auction block
Auctioneers are calling Lionel Messi’s pre-contract with FC Barcelona, written on a restaurant napkin when he was 13, a unique part of soccer history.
How good is Inter Miami? Lionel Messi’s club erased a 2-0 deficit in a matter of two minutes right before halftime.
Now, Inter Miami has a 3-2 lead over CF Montreal in the second half thanks to Benjamin Cremaschi’s goal in the 58th minute. The match is available via MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.
Inter Miami fell behind early in Messi’s first career match in Canada. Bryce Duke (22′) and Jules-Anthony Vilsaint (32′) scored for Montreal, which jumped out to a 2-0 lead. But Matias Rojas scored in the 44th minute, and Luis Suárez scored in first half extra time to help Inter Miami enter halftime tied 2-2.
Messi missed a free kick opportunity, and returned after a brief scare when he was tackled by a Montreal player and laid on the pitch for several minutes before being treated by trainers. Messi walked to the sideline on his own and re-entered the match for the final five minutes of the first half.
Benjamin Cremaschi didn’t get the first touch he wanted. But he saw his last touch roll into the back of the net.
Cremaschi’s goal in the 58th minute gives Inter Miami a 3-2 lead over Montreal, and marks three unanswered goals for Messi’s side.
Messi passed forward to Rojas, who found Cremaschi open in the middle of the field. And a 2-0 deficit has turned into a 3-2 lead for Inter Miami.
Luis Suárez has struck again, scoring his 11th goal of the season, just before halftime. It was only a matter of minutes ago Inter Miami was trailing 2-0 in the first half.
Suárez finished a corner kick one minute after Rojas scored to bring Inter Miami back even.
One more thing: Messi is fine. He has possessed the ball at least twice, and shows no ill effects from an earlier tackle.
Inter Miami is on the board in the first half, all while Messi was standing on the sideline.
Newcomer Matias Rojas scored a free kick in the 44th minute to trim Inter Miami’s deficit. Rojas has been on a tear, scoring his third goal in two matches. It’s only his third match with the club, and his free kick had the bend similar to Messi’s dynamic kicks.
Messi got up on his own and walked toward the sidelines after being evaluated with an injury.
Messi went down in the 40th minute, and he was in significant pain. He grabbed his left knee after he collided with Montreal centerback George Campbell.
Messi stretched his left leg out to control a pass, but was bumped into by Campbell, whose momentum carried him into Messi.
Messi laid on the pitch for several minutes before walking off. He remained standing on the sideline but re-entered in the final minute of the first half.
Montreal’s Jules-Anthony Vilsaint delivered a right boot past the outstretched reach of Inter Miami goalie Drake Callender in the 32nd minute.
And Inter Miami is on the ropes in Canada, down 2-0 in the first half.
Vilsaint, who assisted on Duke’s goal earlier in the match, is a 21-year-old forward who grew up in Montreal. Now, he’ll have a lasting memory of scoring against Messi’s Inter Miami.
Welp, Inter Miami is down early yet again, for the sixth straight MLS game.
Bryce Duke delivered a left boot past Inter Miami goalie Drake Callender to help Montreal take a 1-0 lead in the 22nd minute.
Messi’s free kick had the bend, but was just too high over the net in the 18th minute.
Messi hit a defender with a crosser like he was Allen Iverson, and tripped over the defender’s foot, earning a favorable call for free kick by the referee.
Fans in Montreal will have to wait for another opportunity for Messi to shine.
Montreal misses two early chances: Inter Miami 0, CF Montreal 0
A Montreal free kick sailed over the net, while a corner kick was cleared by Inter Miami’s Marcelo Weigandt in the first 10 minutes.
So, Inter Miami has avoided falling behind 1-0 like it has in three of the last four matches.
Inter Miami vs. CF Montreal match underway: Inter Miami 0, CF Montreal 0
The crowd has already erupted after Messi’s first touch in the first minute. Messi even has an early pass with swinging right foot that found Julian Gressel, whose shot on goal was blocked in the third minute.
Will Inter Miami trail 1-0 early? Keep an eye on this:
Something to keep an eye on as Inter Miami and Montreal get underway: Messi’s side has fallen behind 1-0 early in their last four matches. In three of those matches, the deficit happened in the first 10 minutes of the game.
Still, Inter Miami has won each game.
Yes, Messi is in Inter Miami’s starting lineup for the Montreal match tonight.
Messi, Inter Miami arrive for Montreal game
Messi fans were out in full force for his stadium arrival for tonight’s game.
Messi and Inter Miami were greeted by fans when they arrived in Montreal late Friday night.
Saturday’s game is the first of three Inter Miami matches in Canada this season, with another coming later this month. Messi and Inter Miami will play in Vancouver on May 25, and have a match in Toronto later this season on Oct. 5.
Inter Miami looking for revenge vs. Montreal
Inter Miami also has a chance to increase its lead in the MLS Eastern Conference and get some revenge against a team that beat them earlier this season for the second consecutive week. Montreal beat Inter Miami 3-2 on March 10 in a match Messi did not play to rest a shin injury.
Messi is coming off his best MLS game after becoming the first player to record five assists, and record six goal contributions in a match, during Inter Miami’s 6-2 blowout win over the New York Red Bulls last Saturday, to avenge a 4-0 loss earlier this season.
Inter Miami’s upcoming schedule
The Montreal match begins a Saturday-Wednesday-Saturday stretch for Inter Miami. The next five games are Messi’s last with Inter Miami before he joins Argentina for Copa America this summer.
May 15: Inter Miami at Orlando City, 7:30 p.m. ET
