Home / Football / MLS News Lionel Messi rugby-tackled by pitch invader as Inter Miami win rearranged friendly Lionel Messi had a mixed night in Puerto Rico Written by Jon Fisher Last Update: February 27, 2026 09:00:33 am GMT 2 min read Lionel Messi was rugby-tackled to the ground by a pitch-invader as Inter Miami won a farcical friendly against Independiente del Valle in Puerto Rico last night. The game, a pre-season friendly rearranged due to Messi feeling a slight hamstring problem, was overshadowed when a shirtless fan ran on to the field in the 88th-minute and took the Argentine down as he was signing an autograph.Messi was unhurt and swiftly got back to his feet.Messi and Morales on target as Miami winThe match itself was a curious affair with both teams wearing black shirts, making it difficult to distinguish players and teams.Messi came on at half-time and scored the winner in a 2-1 Miami triumph from the penalty spot.It was a useful exercise for coach Javier Mascherano in that some of the players who did not start in the 3-0 MLS defeat to LAFC at the weekend such as Luis Surez and Santiago Morales got some minutes under their belt.Morales scored Miamis opener and will be pushing for more game time when they resume-MLS action this weekend with a trip to Florida rivals Orlando City. Topics: Inter Miami CF Lionel Messi Follow us: Jon Fisher Jon has over 20 years' experience in sports journalism having worked at the Press Association, Goal and Stats Perform, covering three World Cups, an Olympics and numerous other major sporting events. Read more from Jon Fisher
