Lionel Messi 'Wasn’t 100% Comfortable' in Injury Return Despite Goal, Says Miami HC

Inter Miami star Lionel Messi was still carrying the effects of his hamstring injury in a man-of-the-match performance in a 3-1 win over the Los Angeles Galaxy on Saturday night.

"He clearly wasn't 100% comfortable," coach Javier Mascherano said after the match. "Now, the reality is that as the minutes went by, he loosened up a little bit more. We'll have to see how he ended up in terms of fatigue."

The nagging hamstring didn't prevent Messi from making his presence felt. He scored the go-ahead goal in the 84th minute and then assisted Luis Suárez's 89th-minute tally with a deft touch.

This was Messi's first match back since Aug. 2. He had been sidelined with what the club called a "minor muscle injury."

Inter Miami adopted a cautious approach with the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner. He only came on at halftime, replacing Telasco Segovia. Mascherano was happy to see him log 45-plus minutes without much issue.

"I saw him get better as the minutes went by," he said. "But in the end, we'll have to see how he is (Sunday), how he feels when he wakes up, and take it day by day."

Inter Miami meets Mexico's Tigres UANL in the quarterfinals of the Leagues Cup on Wednesday in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The club will obviously be much better off if Messi is feeling good enough to start the one-off knockout fixture.

Beyond that, Miami will count on the 38-year-old to fuel a push into the top four of MLS' Eastern Conference, which would mean having home-field advantage in the first round of the playoffs.