CHICAGO — Lionel Messi is inevitable.
Take your foot off the gas, give him any opening, and he will make you pay. He has been doing it for two decades now, so it’s not as if it’s a surprise.
And yet …
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The Chicago Fire settled for a 1-1 draw against Messi and Inter Miami on Wednesday, Sept. 9, because they got conservative. They had three shots in the first 10 minutes, including a wonder of a goal by Robert Lewandowski — seriously, go find a clip of it. You won’t be disappointed — before letting Messi and Miami back into the game.
He skied one shot in the 19th minute. Four minutes after that, he scuffed a shot that Fire goalkeeper Chris Brady was able to handle easily. Then, in the 41st minute, he weaved his way through the Fire defense before taking a shot from the top of the box that Brady deflected with a diving, fingertip save.
As the ball skittered away, Messi gave a slight shake of his head.
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Messi gets assist on equalizer
But then, in the 47th minute, another Messi shot resulted in a Miami corner kick. Messi delivered a perfect ball and Casemiro was able to get his head on it as he was falling backward, giving Miami the equalizer in the 48th minute.
The assist was Messi’s 13th of the season, best in the league.
“Pissing away a goal like that on a set piece is not what we want,” Brady said. “That’s something that we’re going to be heightening our focus on because over the last few games, that’s been the case.
“So yeah, I think overall it was just an OK performance. I feel like this is one where we could have won.”
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That Messi has done this time and again in his career, with both club and country, hardly matters. Nor does the fact Messi still doesn’t have a goal against the Fire.
What should have been a win turned into a draw. A costly one, too, with New England leapfrogging Chicago with its win earlier in the night, dropping the Fire to fourth in the Eastern Conference standings.
“Anything can happen in these games. When you have quality players on the field, anything can happen,” Fire coach Gregg Berhalter said. “Messi can score in an instant. (Luis) Suarez can score in an instant. They have quality. Casemiro, how many headers does he have already this year?
“So for us it’s difficult, but we have a good team and we can play well.”
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Record crowd turns out for Messi, Lewandowski
Messi and Miami draw a crowd wherever they go. But there was added anticipation for this game because it was the first time Messi and Robert Lewandowski faced each other since the Group C finale at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Chicago signed the Polish striker, a two-time winner of FIFA’s Best Men’s Player award, earlier this summer and he’s transformed the Fire. A club-record crowd of 63,094 turned out and, unlike past Miami matches, at least half of the fans were rooting for the Fire.
“What a crowd, huh? What a celebration of soccer,” Berhalter said. “When they announce Robert’s name, the crowd goes crazy. When Messi touches the ball, the crowd goes crazy. This was a really special environment tonight.”
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When Lewandowski scored in the 10th minute to put the Fire ahead, Soldier Field erupted. It was his sixth goal in nine games since arriving in Chicago.
“We know if we get him in the right spots, he’s going to do his thing,” Brady said. “So it’s just about getting him that service and getting him in those positions where he can work his magic. And you saw tonight, it was a hell of a finish.”
But it wasn’t enough. Not when Messi is on the other side of the field. Give him time and opportunity and, more than likely, he will make you pay.
Follow USA TODAY Sports columnist Nancy Armour on social media @nrarmour.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Let Lionel Messi back into a game and he’ll make you pay | Opinion
