A gorgeous first-half goal from Lionel Messi set the tone for Inter Miami, which won the second leg of its Concacaf Champions Cup first-round matchup against Sporting Kansas City by a comfortable 3-1 margin on Tuesday in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

The goal came in the 19th minute, as Messi collected the ball in the center circle after Miami played a short goal kick. He sprayed a long through ball between Kansas City defenders Daniel Rosero and Jake Davis, which Luis Suárez collected at the corner of the box as Davis converged.

The Uruguayan stalled just long enough for Messi to stroll entirely unmarked to the edge of the box. With plenty of space between the Argentine legend and any defender, Messi chested the ball down toward his left foot and, on its bounce, powered a low volley beyond the goalkeeper’s near post.

It was an emphatic statement made with the match’s first shot. To its credit, Kansas City didn’t appear willing to back down, having lost last week’s first leg 1-0 at Children’s Mercy Park in Kansas City, Kan. The visitors took the next seven attempts in Tuesday night’s second segment following Messi’s opener, placing three of them on target.

Unfortunately for Peter Vermes’ side, Miami’s next two shots were as potent as their first. Tadeo Allende, who is on loan from La Liga side Celta Vigo, extended the lead to 2-0 in the first minute of first-half stoppage time after a generous assist from Jordi Alba. Suárez ensured Miami had a three-goal cushion entering the break by scoring in the third minute of stoppage, pouncing on a shanked clearance attempt from Davis and eventually forcing the ball into goal while nearly parallel to the ground.

Sporting regained a foothold in the second half as Miami struggled to play out from the back, making the type of error that was all over MLS’s first weekend of the 2025 season.

In the 63rd minute, 19-year-old midfielder Jacob Bartlett intercepted a wayward centering cross from Jordi Alba and quickly played the ball up the central channel. Memo Rodríguez collected the ball and took a shot from beyond the box, catching Miami goalkeeper Oscar Ustari off-balance with an impressive long-range goal.

By the 68th minute, however, Miami coach Javier Mascherano felt secure enough in the result to give his talisman some rest. Messi exited in the 68th minute, while Suarez and Sergio Busquets were removed for fresh legs in the 80th minute. Miami’s regular season continues on Sunday with a trip to the Houston Dynamo in a rematch of the 2023 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup final, which saw the Dynamo notch a 2-1 win against a Messi-less Miami.

The Herons’ 4-1 aggregate win sees them through to the Concacaf Champions Cup’s round of 16, where they’ll face Jamaica Premier League side Cavalier SC. The reigning MLS Supporters’ Shield winner will host the first leg on Wednesday, March 5 before traveling to Kingston for the second leg on March 13.

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