Lionel Messi struggles in his first game at Yankee Stadium as Inter Miami and NYCFC battle to a 1-1 draw in the Bronx

Near the 161st Street stop of the 4 Line in the Bronx, the seats at Yankee Stadium were filled with blue and pink shirts as Lionel Messi and Inter Miami took on New York City FC on Saturday afternoon.

Messi’s lackluster performance eventually ended in a 1-1 draw, with New York City’s James Sands scoring his first MLS goal to break the break.

As spectators gathered to catch a glimpse of Messi’s greatness, the home sides started the first half with full force.

The boys in blue were menacing, determined to ruin Messi’s moment. Although the game was scoreless at halftime, NYCFC outscored Miami 5-3 in the first half.

Moreover, they dimmed Messi’s light in the first 45 minutes. Apart from an early free-kick that went wide, the Argentine couldn’t seem to work his magic against the Pigeons’ defence.

The Herons didn’t manage to score until the 75th minute, as NYCFC’s defense proved dominant

NYCFC came out of the tunnel fiercely, firing two shots on goal within the first five minutes of the second period.

As a near-sold-out stadium began to fizzle out with Messi’s left leg failing to produce any more moments, he began the move that would open the scoring in the 75th minute.

Messi passed a ball to Jordi Alba, who passed it to Leo Campana for the goal. This happened a few minutes after he was substituted.

Miami tried to build on the slim lead until the final whistle when Sands found the net in the final minutes of injury time. NYCFC’s nightmarish routine of losing games in the final minutes during promising performances persisted until Sands’ heroics came to the rescue.

The tie moves the Herons to 20-7-4 and they remain atop the Eastern Conference standings with 67 points.

New York, on the other hand, extended its nine-game winless streak and now sits in sixth place with an 11-8-11 record and 41 points.

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