Lionel Messi scored his first goal since his father’s death but Inter Miami had to settle for a 2-2 Major League Soccer draw on Thursday against Philadelphia Union.The Argentine superstar gave Miami a 2-1 lead in the 26th minute with a trademark curling left-footed shot into the far corner.After a restrained celebration with teammates, in which he allowed himself a brief smile, Messi pointed towards the sky over Philadelphia.Messi had been instrumental in Miami’s first goal five minutes earlier, locating a run down the left flank from Uruguayan forward Luis Suarez, who headed the ball across for a close-range finish from young American Daniel Pinter.The hosts, who led after 11 minutes following a goal from Indiana Vassilev, secured a point when Neil Pierre netted shortly before the hour mark. Inter Miami next play when they host Toronto on Sunday morning Hong Kong time.“We came to win but we couldn’t,” said Miami coach Guillermo Hoyos. “We’re not happy with the draw because we don’t like it, but now we need to try to rest and think about the next game, which is in less than 72 hours.”Messi, 39, moved into second place in the league’s scoring chart on 13 goals, three behind Croatian Peter Musa, who scored two for Dallas in a 4-3 victory at Real Salt Lake on Wednesday.
Lionel Messi nets in Inter Miami draw for first goal since father’s death
Argentine superstar back on target after drawing blanks in previous two games but Inter winless streak extends to four matches.










