Lionel Messi scores brace with amazing free kick in Inter Miami’s 4-2 comeback against Orlando City

That wraps up our live coverage for the Florida Derby between Inter Miami and Orlando City. Thanks for following along!

Inter Miami defeat Orlando City 4-2 in the Florida Derby.

After constants exchange of words with Orlando boss Oscar Pareja, De Paul sees the yellow card.

Telasco Segovia kicked the ball after the referee called a foul, prompting the Venezuelan midfielder to receive the yellow card.

After the several delays and fouls, referee Elfath decided to add on ten minutes to the game.

After the goal, Javier Mascherano took Allende off to bring Gonzalo Lujan in.

Despite being the one brought down to earn the red card, Messi stepped up to take the free kick himself, and with a beautifully curled effort, the ball squirmed through Crépeau's hands and into the net, completing his brace in the Florida Derby.

Once again Messi picked up the ball and began driving forward on what looked like a dangerous attack, and once again Guske hauled him down — earning a second yellow card in the process and leaving Orlando down to 10 men.

After pressing high up the pitch, Germán Berterame reached the end line and delivered a cross to Messi, who played it across the face of goal to Telasco Segovia, and the Venezuelan finished clinically to complete the stunning comeback for Inter Miami.

Looking for more fresh legs into the game, Orlando City boss makes a double substitution: Eduard Atuesta and Tiago in, Ivan Angulo and Marco Pasalic out.

Pašalić lost his composure after a provocation from Falcón, squaring up to the defender chest-to-chest and earning himself a yellow card in the process.

With the ball nowhere near either player, Dorsey barged into De Paul and sent him to the ground, earning himself a yellow card for the challenge.

In yet another sharp through ball from Pašalić, Ojeda received the pass in stride and unleashed a strike that St. Clair got down to save, before Maxi Falcón threw himself to head the rebound clear and deny the Orlando forward a second chance.

Looking for more pace up front, Orlando City move their pieces on the field: Duncan McGuire out, Tyrese Spicer in.

Unable to continue due to an injury, Nolan Mille comes off, with coach Oscar Pareja subbing Iago Silva in.

After a slick combination on the edge of the box involving De Paul, Allende and Berterame, Messi nicked the ball from Segovia before curling a shot into the far corner that Crépeau had no chance with.

After Inter Miami recovered the ball high, Messi tried from distance, but his shot was easily save by Crépeau.

Ojeda and McGuire combined well again, with the Argentine unleashing a powerful strike that St. Clair did well to turn around the post and out for a corner.

Inter Miami were patient in the buildup, and new substitute Silvetti made an instant impact, unleashing a thunderous strike from outside the box to halve the deficit early in the second half.

Head coach Javier Mascherano opted to shake things up with the game's first substitution in search of a comeback, bringing on Mateo Silvetti and withdrawing Noah Allen.

Referee Ismail Elfath blows his whistle, and the second half of the Florida Derby is underway!

Orlando City are ahead 2-0 against Inter Miami.

During a brief altercation in the box before play resumed, Tadeo Allende and Nolan Miller were both shown yellow cards.

Two minutes have been added of extra time in the first half of the game.

Leading the counterattack, Lionel Messi ended up being pulled by Colin Guske, effectively stopping the attack, but earning the yellow card.

After Pašalić brought Berterame down, Lionel Messi stepped up to take the resulting free kick, but a slight deflection off the wall took it away from goal once again.

De Paul and Messi combined once again, who shot with his right foot, but the chance ended up being blocked by an Orlando defender.

After a well-weighted long ball from Messi, Allende got off a shot from the right side that Crépeau gathered comfortably.

Laying the ball back to the edge of the box, Dorsey tried to find Pašalić, but defender Micael slid in to nick the ball cleanly off the Croatian's feet.

Frustrated by the lack of progress in the buildup, De Paul tried his luck from distance, forcing Crépeau into a save — and just seconds later, he slipped the ball to Messi, who tested the Canadian goalkeeper once again.

Catching Inter Miami out of position on the counter, Dorsey cut inside and laid the ball off to Ojeda, who played a quick one-two with the overlapping right back before curling a stunning trivela into the net to double Orlando's lead.

After Orlando's opener, the team coached by Ojeda are now sitting deep in their own side of the pitch, with Inter Miami looking for the equalizer, but failing to verticalize.

Trying to build out of the back, De Paul gave the ball away to Iván Darío, who drove forward down the left flank before whipping a cross to the edge of the box, where Marco Pašalić brought it down and unleashed a half-volley that beat St. Clair — who got a hand to it but could not keep it out — to give Orlando the lead.

Despite Messi's opportunity, Inter Miami have been unable to translate their dominance into clear-cut chances, with Orlando City sitting well off St. Clair's goal and showing little attacking intent.

Lionel Messi sparked a swift counterattack, and after the Herons shifted play from left to right, De Paul delivered an accurate cross to Messi, who flicked it on with a backheel — only to be denied by a superb stop from goalkeeper Maxime Crépeau.

After an opening spell of Inter Miami dominance, Orlando have begun to settle into the match, growing more comfortable in possession — to the point where midfielder Guske drew a foul from Lionel Messi.

With no clear chances yet, Inter Miami are looking comfortable in possession, while Orlando City have struggled to string passes together, suffocated by the Herons' high pressure.

Ismail Elfath blows his whistle, and the Florida Derby is underway!

Ismail Elfath has been appointed to officiate Sunday evening's clash between Orlando City and Inter Miami. The 43-year-old American has overseen 17 Orlando City matches, compiling a record of four wins, three draws and 10 defeats, while in 11 Inter Miami games he has seen the Herons go six wins, two draws and three defeats.

This will be Elfath's third Florida Derby, and the first with Lionel Messi on the pitch. His previous two appointments ended in a 2-1 Orlando City win back in 2020 and a 0-0 draw in 2021.

Match officiating team:

Referee: Ismail Elfath.
1st Assistant Referee: Corey Parker
2nd Assistant Referee: Jeremy Kieso
4th Official: Rosendo Mendoza
VAR: Edvin Jurisevic
AVAR1: Kyle Atkins

The Florida Derby has a rich history across multiple competitions, including MLS regular season play, the U.S. Open Cup and the Leagues Cup. Across all meetings, Inter Miami hold the overall edge with eight wins, compared to six for Orlando City, while four matches have ended in a draw.

Lionel Messi has featured in four of those 18 contests, and the numbers tell a favorable story for the Argentine. He holds a record of three wins and one defeat against the Lions, a side he has found the net against six times, making Orlando one of his more productive opponents, and Sunday's clash a prime opportunity to score his first official goal of 2026.

Antoine Griezmann has become one of the hotter topics in recent days, with reports suggesting that Orlando City, who hold his discovery rights, are pushing to sign the Frenchman during the current MLS transfer window.

However, Atlético Madrid's football director Mateu Alemany moved to dismiss the rumors, closing the door on any departure during the 2025-26 season: "This is a topic that sparks a lot of journalistic speculation. Antoine has two more years left on his contract with us; he's focused on what's ahead for the club. His performances have been great."

Despite no longer being a central figure in Mascherano's plans, Luis Suárez will not be available for Inter Miami in Sunday's game against Orlando City.

The Uruguayan striker picked up a knock during Miami's training session on Friday, landing him on the injury report alongside Sergio Reguilón.

With Lionel Messi in the starting lineup, head coach Javier Mascherano has named his XI to take on Orlando City (4-2-3-1): Dayne St. Clair, Facundo Mura, Maxi Falcon, Micael Silva, Noah Allen; Rodrigo de Paul, Yannick Bright; Tadeo Allende, Lionel Messi, Telasco Segovia; German Berterame.

Head coach Oscar Pareja confirmed the eleven players that'll start the game against Inter Miami: Maxime Crépeau; Griffin Dorsey, David Brekalo, Nolan Miller, Tahir Reid-Brown; Marco Pašalić, Braian Ojeda, Colin Guske, Iván Angulo, Martín Ojeda; Duncan McGuire.

Inter Miami have announced an agreement with academy graduate Alexander Shaw on a short-term deal, making him available for today's Florida Derby.

The 17-year-old midfielder was brought along by head coach Javier Mascherano on the club's preseason tour, earning several appearances, including a start in Thursday's friendly against Independiente del Valle. With 13 games of MLS NEXT Pro experience under his belt with Inter Miami CF II, Shaw could be in line to make his MLS debut against Orlando.

Orlando City and Inter Miami's game will begin at 7:00 PM (ET).

You can watch the MLS match live on MLS Season Pass.

Welcome to our live coverage of the Florida Derby as Orlando City hosts Inter Miami for a high-stakes Matchday 2 clash in MLS. Stay with us for the most important information about both teams, and once the game kicks off, for minute-by-minute updates!