Messi, Inter Miami rally to draw against Philadelphia Union in MLS

Thanks to a stoppage-time equalizer from substitute Telasco Segovia, Inter Miami rallied from a 3-1 deficit to defeat the Philadelphia Union, the leaders of the MLS Eastern Conference.

Philadelphia had a two-goal lead when Israeli forward Tai Baribo scored twice on Saturday, but Lionel Messi’s 87th-minute free kick and Segovia’s stunning 95th-minute goal gave them the lead.

After Miami’s defense couldn’t come close, Quinn Sullivan, who was named this week by Mauricio Pochettino to the US national team squad, gave Philadelphia the lead in the seventh minute with a sweet strike.

As Miami’s defensive issues persisted, Baribo scored a quick goal in the 44th minute to make it 2-0.

In the 60th minute, Noah Allen floated in a cross from the left that was met by an Argentinian Tadeo Allende’s powerful header.

However, when Miami were unable to clear the ball after a long throw, Jean-Jacques Danley pounced on the loose ball and fired home with a two-goal lead, Philadelphia was restored.

Three minutes before the end of regulation time, Messi scored his sixth goal of the season against Union keeper Andrew Rick with a typably well-driven free kick.

Philly were poised to win, but Jovan Lukic hit the ball from inside the box early in stoppage time when Segovia pounced and fired home after Messi had done some good work.

The outcome, which included 23 goals, shows Miami’s character, while they have won just one game in their previous eight games overall.

The former Barcelona and Argentina midfielder praised his team’s performance despite their sixth-place position in the Eastern Conference.

We displayed personality and character. The guys showed they wanted to fight to get out of this situation, the Miami coach said, adding that it was another challenging start to the game for us because we initially conceded the goal.

He continued, “We are in a bad trend but have a lot of spirit to come back to be the team we were at the beginning of the season,” before demanding more from his back line.

We cannot give our opponents any chances to score on any corner kick or throw-in. In those circumstances, Mascherano said, “We need to be more focused.”