Lionel Messi scored twice, including a brilliant late equaliser, as Inter Miami advanced past FC Dallas to the quarter-finals of the Leagues Cup on penalties after an enthralling 4-4 draw.

A trademark curling free-kick in the 85th minute, Messi’s seventh goal in four games for Miami, took the game to a shootout after the Argentine’s side had trailed 4-2 with 10 minutes to go.

Dallas exposed Miami’s defensive weaknesses, in Messi’s first game away from home, and kept Spanish midfielder Sergio Busquets relatively quiet for long stretches but the World Cup winner still made the difference.

“It’s obvious that for him a free-kick around that area is like a penalty kick for another player,” said Dallas’s Spanish coach Nico Estevez of Messi’s superb strike.

Read full story on sport.timesofmalta.com

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