Messi assists as Inter Miami draw with Chicago Fire in front of record crowd

Inter Miami rescued a point at Chicago Fire after recovering from an early Robert Lewandowski goal to draw 1-1 at Soldier Field on Thursday, in a match watched by a club-record crowd of 63,094.

Lewandowski opened the scoring in the 10th minute with an acrobatic finish that gave Chicago Fire an ideal start against Lionel Messi and his Inter Miami team-mates. The goal was an eye-catching moment in a fixture featuring two of the most prominent European football stars of recent years.

Inter Miami responded after half-time, with Casemiro heading in from a Lionel Messi delivery to level the match.

The Brazilian midfielder rose to meet Messi’s corner and directed his header into the net, registering his third headed goal in three matches.

For Messi, the assist was his 13th in the league this season, leaving him as the competition’s leading provider of goals. The Argentina forward has also scored 18 goals.

According to ESPN, that means Messi has become the first player in Major League Soccer history to record at least 30 goal contributions in three different seasons.

Inter Miami pushed for a winner during the closing stages, but Chicago Fire goalkeeper Chris Brady produced a series of important saves to preserve the draw. He made six saves in total, including one from a dangerous German Berterame effort in the 16th minute.

That stop was one of three decisive interventions Brady made during the first half.

Hoyos praises Chicago goalkeeper

Inter Miami head coach Guillermo Hoyos said he did not believe his side had struggled in attack, instead identifying Brady as the outstanding player on the field.

“I do not think there is any problem in attack at all. For me, their goalkeeper was the best player in the match,” Hoyos said after the game.

“The goalkeeper is part of the game in the end. We created chances from different areas, but he did his job well. The players put in a very good performance, even an excellent one, but we did not get the result we deserved.”

The attendance of 63,094 set a new record for a Chicago Fire home match at Soldier Field. It surpassed the previous high, which was recorded during the same fixture last season.

The result also had significance in the race for the top of the league. Nashville lost to Toronto earlier on Thursday, but Inter Miami’s failure to win left them second, nine points behind the leaders.

Chicago Fire can move from fourth to third in their next match, when they face New England Revolution.

Inter Miami have endured an uneven run since the start of August, recording one victory and two draws alongside four defeats.

Messi and his team-mates remain in contention for the title as they attempt to make Inter Miami the first club since LA Galaxy in the 2011 and 2012 seasons to win Major League Soccer in consecutive campaigns.