Gomez: Absolutely no doubt Messi would score free kick (1:17)Herculez Gomez reacts to Lionel Messi’s sensational goal to win the match for Inter Miami in stoppage time. (1:17)
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Sometimes in this game of ours, an ending is so perfectly written it defies belief. There is no point in analyzing or trying to bring logic to it. All you can do is marvel at the magic, thank the football gods that you were there to witness it and, most importantly, offer gratitude to the magician who made it happen.
“It was like a movie that will play on repeat forever,” said Inter Miami CF coach Gerardo “Tata” Martino after watching Lionel Messi‘s latest amazing feat. “It’s almost like it was written … [Messi] is always there to write these stories.”
The Argentine manager reacted the same way the rest of us did when Messi struck an incredulous stoppage time free-kick winner to seal a 2-1 win over Liga MX side Cruz Azul on Friday in group stage action of the Leagues Cup, which sent the crowd at DRV PNK Stadium into a electric sense of joy.
But if we treat this moment like a movie, as Martino rightly points out, then this story first needs a setting and an atmosphere that led to this almost inconceivable finale.
So let’s begin with the scene.
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Under a clear, densely humid sky, a capacity crowd of 20,000 clad in pink and black danced, banged drums and chanted the only name they had eagerly been waiting for. The only name that was on the back of their shirts. The only name that could cause such excitement.
The only name that mattered to them. Lionel Messi.
They weren’t the only ones. Celebrities and superstars were also present, hoping to be inspired. Names like LeBron James and Serena Williams, Kim Kardashian and Marc Anthony — they all sat in the VIP suites, which in true Miami spirit, are literally meters away from the players.
Latina artist Becky G sang the national anthem as fireworks lit up the sky before kickoff. Oh, did I mention there were massive helicopters circling the arena too?
The stadium’s DJ — knowing the audience — played Bad Bunny, Regaton and Latin trap music throughout as Spanish and English blended throughout the evening. But in the end, especially in the first half, nothing else mattered aside from Messi.
The crowd wanted magic. They wanted La Pulga. As soon as the game started, the chants erupted, “Messi, Messi, Messi…” and Leo just sat on the bench, smiling at his wife Antonela Roccuzzo and their three children.
He hugged LeBron, greeted friends and loved ones, and enjoyed every single second. This was a happy Leo; a relaxed Leo. Not because he wasn’t taking it seriously, but because he was embracing his new reality.
The first half came and went. Those first 45 minutes might as well have been another night because, really, the pivotal moment came shortly after the start of the second half. As Messi and the bench began to warm up, the crowd got up from their seats knowing the time was coming. The chants started again.