León Stun Inter Miami 3-2 as Messi Returns After Father's Death

Club León produced a stunning second-half comeback to defeat Inter Miami 3-2 and secure a place in the Leagues Cup knockout stage, overshadowing Lionel Messi's emotional return following the death of his father, Jorge Messi.

Messi entered at the start of the second half at Miami's Nu Stadium and received a warm ovation from the home crowd. It was his first appearance since his father died Saturday at the age of 68.

Earlier Wednesday, Messi paid an emotional tribute to his father on social media, expressing uncertainty about his future in football. Jorge Messi played a major role in his son's career, serving as his agent and handling his business affairs.

Messi had returned to Argentina over the weekend after the family bereavement and missed Inter Miami's 2-1 defeat to Monterrey. He was named among the substitutes against León before replacing Daniel Pinter at the interval.

Inter Miami appeared to be in control after Pinter opened the scoring in the 42nd minute, finishing from an Ian Fray assist. But León completely transformed the match after halftime, scoring three times to turn the game around.

Daniel Arcila levelled in the 50th minute with a right-footed strike from the centre of the box before Juan Pablo Domínguez put León further ahead. Arcila then struck again in the 83rd minute, firing his fourth goal of the tournament to seal a memorable victory.

Yannick Bright scored for Inter Miami, but the Herons could not prevent another collapse after taking the lead. The defeat eliminated Miami from the competition, having won the Leagues Cup in 2023 and reached the final last year.

León's victory lifted the club to the top of the Liga MX standings after winning all three of its matches in the tournament. Only the top four MLS and top four Liga MX teams advance to the quarterfinals.