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Watch: Dominant Lionel Messi scores early (and late) in thriller vs. FC Dallas

Messi scored his sixth Leagues Cup goal for Inter Miami, putting FC Dallas in an early deficit and thrilling the soldout Toyota Stadium crowd.

It took 10 minutes for FC Dallas to sell out Toyota Stadium for Lionel Messi’s visit on Sunday night.

It took Messi less than that to give fans their money’s worth.

Messi, the 36-year-old icon, lived up to every bit of his reputation in Inter Miami’s Leagues Cup round of 16 match at FC Dallas in Frisco. He struck early with a left-footed strike — a phrase written hundreds and hundreds of times when referring to Messi — and drew enormous roars from the crowd with a goal that gave Miami an early lead after video review approval.

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And he wasn’t done.

He’d later help erase a 4-2 Dallas lead with a game-tying goal in the 85th minute, another picturesque ‘Messi’ goal on a free kick from just outside the box. No VAR necessary.

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See both of Messi’s impressive strikes below.

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Messi, a global icon, signed with Inter Miami earlier this year after his contract expired with Paris Saint-Germain, France’s top club. Unlike other aging international soccer stars who have come to MLS after having lost a step or two, Messi, who starred for so long with Spain’s Barcelona, is still very much in his prime, despite already two decades into his pro career.

The Leagues Cup is an inter-federation competition between MLS and Mexico’s Liga MX. MLS is on pause for about a month during the tournament, which is now in its knockout competition. Both Inter Miami and FCD advanced out of a three-team group and won their Round-of-32 match to set up this Round-of-16 clash. The winner of Sunday’s match will play either Charlotte or Houston.

Video: Messi Mania engulfed Toyota Stadium in Frisco
The excitement surrounding Messi filled the air at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas. The stadium is home to FCDallas, which hosted the Leagues Cup Round of 16.
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