Inter Miami are through to the Leagues Cup final after beating Orlando City 3-1 on Wednesday with two goals by Lionel Messi. 

It was a return to form for the Argentine football superstar, who at one point feared he could miss his last national team appearance of the year. But it raises the question: how long can the show go on?

It was an emotional game for Messi, who ran to the VIP box at the edge of the pitch after the second goal to celebrate with his children. The Argentine superstar had suffered a muscle injury at the beginning of the month, a problem that’s been troubling him for the last couple of seasons.

“I was a little bit scared in the first half, to be honest,” he told press after the game, adding he relaxed in the second half, which explains his burst into action to score the winning goal. “I wanted to play, I knew this was an important match so I prepared myself for it.”

The injury had cast doubts over Messi’s chances of being available to play for Argentina in the last set of World Cup qualifying matches. Having made the list of players called up by head coach Lionel Scaloni, his performance with Inter Miami gives fans hopes of witnessing another masterful performance. Yet, Messi himself admitted there won’t be many more chances to see him in the Albiceleste shirt. 

“It’ll be a very special game for me, because it’ll be the last Qualifiers matchup. I’m not sure if there’ll be any friendly matches after that,” he said.

Argentina is set to face Venezuela on September 4 at the Monumental stadium in Buenos Aires, which could prove Messi’s last game with the Albiceleste in front of a home crowd. It could even be his last official outing with the team, if he either decides or is forced to skip the 2026 World Cup. 

While some Argentine media interpreted that as news of the end, Messi’s comments left plenty of room for interpretation.

“I’ll have my family with me, my wife and kids, my parents. We’ll enjoy it that way. I don’t know what will happen next, but we’re trying to enjoy it,” he added.

Leagues Cup action

It wasn’t an easy game for Messi and Inter Miami. 

The Herons started the game on the back foot. After a hard-fought first half, striker Marco Pašalić put Orlando City 1-0 up, and the dream of a second final in three years for Messi’s team seemed to be fading.

The comeback came in the second half, with Inter Miami pushing for a goal. It finally got one in the 76th minute, when forward Tadeo Allende was brought down inside the box, resulting in a penalty. Messi scored without much hesitation to tie the game 1-1.

He’d give Inter the win just 12 minutes later, crafting a passing move with former FC Barcelona teammate Jordi Alba on the left side of the pitch to enter the box with the ball on his feet and slot it to the bottom right. 

Venezuelan midfielder Telasco Segovia wrapped the game up in the 91st minute, making it 3-1.

They’re now set to meet up with the Seattle Sounders on Sunday, at the Lumen Field in Seattle. The match kicks off at 9 p.m. Argentina time, and can be watched with an Apple TV subscription.