Leagues Cup | Messi sparkles again on free kick, Inter Miami beats FC Dallas in shootout
The Hindu
Lionel Messi scored on another mesmerizing free kick in his third consecutive two-goal game for Inter Miami, a tying tally that led to a victory over FC Dallas on penalty kicks in a Leagues Cup elimination game on August 6
Each time Lionel Messi lined up for a free kick in his first road game for Inter Miami, thousands of fans packed into a stadium in the searing Texas heat stood and held up their cell phones, ready to record.
They all got video of a repeat of history.
Messi scored on another mesmerizing free kick in his third consecutive two-goal game for Inter Miami, a tying tally that led to a victory over FC Dallas on penalty kicks in a Leagues Cup elimination game Sunday, August 6 night.
Messi's goal in the 85th minute for a 4-4 tie was reminiscent of the game-winner in his Inter Miami debut, both on free kicks from just outside the penalty box in the waning moments, both sneaking past the goalkeeper into the upper corner of the net.
This time, the left-footed superstar was to the right of the net, and beat FC Dallas' Maarten Paes to the near post the same way he did from the left side in a 2-1 win over Mexican club Cruz Azul in his Inter Miami debut.
“I think it’s not much to say. I think everyone can see,” FC Dallas coach Nico Estévez said. “It’s obvious that for him a free kick around there is like a PK for another player. You have to pray that the ball goes out of bounds or he fell in the run to kick the ball.”
The victory in the round of 16 sent Inter Miami into the Leagues Cup quarterfinals against the winner Monday night between Charlotte FC and Houston.
Asian Games champion Avinash Sable opened his season in the 3000m steeple chase with a silver in the Portland Track Festival, a World Athletics Continental Tour bronze event, in Oregon on Saturday. He clocked 8:21.85s. Asian champion Parul Chaudhary took the bronze in the women’s 3000m steeple chase in a season-best 9:31.38s. Former Asian bronze medallist Sanjivani Jadhav struck gold in the women’s 10,000m in 32:22.77s, a time which was a second off her personal best, while Seema was sixth in 32:55.91s.