In front of a star-studded crowd that only Hollywood can provide, Inter Miami took on Los Angeles, and Lionel Messi delivered two assists in a performance deserving of the Hollywood stage.
Despite Messi’s fantastical arrival in Miami, the Herons still had a tough road to the MLS playoffs, but a 3-1 victory over the defending MLS Cup champions on Sunday night kept the exciting storyline alive.
Almost immediately after the game ended, LAFC had Miami on the back foot, but Facundo Farias flipped the script by scoring the game’s opening goal against the flow of play in the 14th minute.
Soon after the break, Jordi Alba extended the Herons’ advantage before Messi set up Leonardo Campana to all but clinch the victory.
However, Ryan Hollingshead attempted to give the home team hope when he scored a goal in overtime, but it was too little, too late as LAFC couldn’t muster enough of a comeback to pose a danger to Miami.
Since Messi joined the team in the middle of July, Miami has gone undefeated in 11 games across all competitions.
But Messi’s last game with Miami will be on Sunday, at least for the next two weeks. The 36-year-old will take part in Argentina’s World Cup qualifying matches against Bolivia and Ecuador on Thursday.
With eight games left in the regular season, Miami is eight points off of a playoff berth in the Eastern Conference thanks to Messi’s 11 goals and eight assists.
One of the standout contests since Messi’s signing was Miami’s visit against the reigning MLS Cup champions. 22,921 spectators watched it, which is a record for the BMO Stadium of LAFC.
In the 27-year history of the Major League Soccer, it also became one of the most sought-after tickets.
The average purchase price for the match, as reported by TickPick, was $717, which is 515 percent more than the $110 before he signed.
The average ticket price for Beyonce’s performance at SoFi Stadium was $493.
Prince Harry, Will Farrell, Leonardo DiCaprio, Selena Gomez, Owen Wilson, Mario Lopez, and Edward Norton were among the famous people there.
Jason Sudeikis and Brendan Hunt, who starred in the movie “Ted Lasso,” were also present.
In the 38th minute, Messi got a clear chance on goal, but McCarthy made the save with his left foot.
After joining the team in late July, Faras, who turned 21 on August 28, earned his second start and scored his first goal in the 14th minute.
As Faras ran up the right side of the pitch, Tomas Avilés produced a fantastic pass to him from midfield. Faras took advantage of a gap between two LAFC defenders to slide a shot past LAFC goalkeeper John McCarthy, strike the far post, and bounce into the goal.
With a left-footed goal in the 51st minute, Alba increased LAFC’s lead. In the 83rd minute, Messi had a 2-on-1 breakaway before passing to Campana, who had a clear shot at goal.
Hollingshead’s header off a corner kick prevented the shutout.
The Herons’ successful performance was given in front of an A-list audience that included soccer royalty who were actually in attendance.
In stark contrast to his apparent ennui at a Beyonce concert on Friday night, Prince Harry appeared thrilled with joy as he watched soccer icon Lionel Messi lead Inter Miami upset Los Angeles Football Club on Sunday night.
Prince Harry was seen on Sunday night attending a LAFC soccer match against Inter Miami
Will Ferrell, who co-owns LAFC, was at the match on Sunday night
An animated Selena Gomez was spotted watching the game from the stands
Ted Lasso star Jason Sudeikis was among those at the star-studded event on Sunday
From the stands of the BMO Stadium in the south of the city, the 38-year-old grinned and joyfully wrinkled up an LAFC scarf as he supported his home team.
Mario Lopez and Owen Wilson both wore LAFC shirts and baseball caps to express their support for the home team.
In the wildly popular Apple TV series, Jason Sudeikis, who plays soccer coach Ted Lasso, was dressed in an eye-catching orange sweatshirt.
DiCaprio attempted to maintain a low profile at the evening event while sporting a dark baseball cap and sunglasses. An energetic Selena Gomez was also in the audience. The game began at 10 p.m. local time.
