Messi returns amid grief as Miami exit Leagues Cup

Lionel Messi made an emotional return for Inter Miami during their 3-2 defeat against Leon in the Leagues Cup. The 39-year-old missed their previous match against Monterrey, a 2-1 loss, following the death of his father, but came on at half-time for the Herons on Wednesday.

First-half lead undone in second half

Miami were on top in the first half and got their reward in the 42nd minute when Ian Fray's low cross into the six-yard box was turned in by Daniel Pinter.

Leon were level five minutes into the second half as Daniel Arcila beat Rocco Rios Novo at his near post, but the Herons restored their lead shortly after as Yannick Bright picked out the top-left corner during a scramble in the box.

However, Leon equalised again, this time just after the hour mark, as Juan Dominguez curled past the Miami goalkeeper from the edge of the area. The winner came in the 83rd minute as Arcila netted his second of the game with a first-time finish from Diber Cambindo's knockdown.

Reaction to Messi’s comeback

"I wasn't expecting it," Miami goalscorer Bright said about Messi's return. "It shows how much he cares. When I saw he was here, all I was thinking about was to give my 150% for him."

"It's a tough situation. We try to stay close to him and support him as much as we can, but it's a lot."

While Miami have been eliminated from the Leagues Cup, Los Angeles FC could still qualify for the knockout rounds after their 5-3 penalty shoot-out win over Queretaro. Denis Bouanga levelled for LAFC in the second half before both he and Son Heung-min scored their spot-kicks.

Antoine Griezmann also scored in a shoot-out as Orlando City overcame Atletico San Luis 5-3 on penalties following a 2-2 draw, though the MLS side are also out of the competition.

Impact off the bench

Messi hinted at a possible retirement during a tribute to his father on Wednesday, stating he did not know how much longer he could play on. Nevertheless, the 39-year-old once again showed he can still make an impact for Miami.

Despite only coming on at half-time, Messi recorded the joint-most shots (five) among Miami players, registered the most attempts on target (three), created the second-most chances (four) and completed two of his three dribbles.

Miami will perhaps feel like they deserved to win after accumulating 2.22 expected goals (xG) from 24 shots to Leon's 1.33 from 15 attempts. And Herons head coach Guillermo Hoyos will no doubt be disappointed after losing another game in which they led at half-time, as they suffered the same fate against Monterrey.