DC United vs Inter Miami: Messi scores 899th career goal to secure victory for Herons

Lionel Messi scored his 899th career goal to inspire Inter Miami to a hard-fought 2-1 victory over D.C. United, surviving a tense second-half surge in front of a record-breaking crowd.

Messi and Rodrigo de Paul, who opened the scoring, gave the Herons a 2-0 lead at half-time; however, their performance dipped in the second half. Still, they managed to secure victory despite the frantic end to the game.

Inter Miami bossed possession early on against a D.C. United side that initially opted to sit deep and rely on counter-attacks. Javier Mascherano's side reaped rewards for approaching the contest positively in the 17th minute when Germán Berterame recovered the ball high up the pitch and fed Telasco Segovia, who intelligently squared a pass to Rodrigo De Paul for a comfortable, precise right-footed finish past goalkeeper Sean Johnson. 

Surging with confidence, the Herons doubled their advantage just ten minutes later in the 27th minute through a moment of quintessential brilliance from their captain, Messi. 

Mateo Silvetti unlocked the defensive line with a perfectly weighted pass for the diminutive Argentine, who elegantly dinked the ball over the onrushing Johnson to put his side in cruise control, for his 899th career strike. 

The hosts struggled to mount a response before the break, and Messi almost added a stunning third in the 37th minute when his curling effort from outside the box evaded the far post, leaving Miami comfortably in charge at the interval.

Emerging for the second half, D.C. United showed renewed aggression, evidenced by Joao Peglow receiving a 57th-minute yellow card for a hard foul on De Paul as the physical intensity escalated. 

D.C. United finally broke through the resolute Miami defence in the 74th minute; Jackson Hopkins unleashed a fierce low drive that goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair could only parry into the danger zone, allowing Tai Baribo to react fastest and tuck the rebound into the net from close range.

The closing stages devolved into a tense, nervy affair as D.C. United threw caution to the wind in search of an equaliser, bringing on Caden Clark for Hopkins in the 81st minute to further bolster their attack. 

Inter Miami transitioned into a defensive shape to protect their slender lead, and they managed to hold on to maximum points.