Thousands of Fans Celebrate Messi’s Bay Area Debut Like a Festival

SAN JOSE: In a captivating Major League Soccer (MLS) showdown at PayPal Park on Wednesday, Inter Miami and the San Jose Earthquakes battled to a 3-3 draw, highlighted by Tadeo Allende’s impressive two goals.

Inter Miami had an ideal beginning when Maximiliano Falcón converted a superb pass from Jordi Alba in the first minute. However, Cristian Arango responded quickly, levelling the score in the third minute and setting the stage for a thrilling contest.

The end-to-end play continued as Beau Leroux put San Jose ahead in the 38th minute, making the score 2-1. Miami quickly countered, with Tadeo Allende scoring his first goal of the game just six minutes later, tying the score at 2-2.

San Jose then struck again in stoppage time of the first half, as Ian Harkes precisely placed a shot into the bottom-left corner, giving the home team a 3-2 lead heading into halftime.

In the 52nd minute, Lionel Messi demonstrated his renowned playmaking abilities by setting up Allende’s second goal, which was assisted by Baltasar Rodríguez, bringing Miami back to equal footing.

Late in the match, Messi had a prime chance to secure the victory, but San Jose goalkeeper Daniel De Sousa Britto made a crucial save.

The match marked Messi’s first appearance in the Bay Area, attracting a crowd of 18,000 supporters who transformed the event into a festive celebration.

The night before the game, a block party took place, and fans congregated outside Inter Miami’s team hotel, hoping to catch a glimpse of the iconic player from his balcony.