Messi scores in his return, helps Inter Miami get a 2-2 tie against Colorado

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Lionel Messi returned and helped salvage a tie for Inter Miami.

Messi scored shortly after checking in to begin the second half and helped set up Leo Afonso's go-ahead score two minutes later. But Cole Bassett scored in the 88th minute for the Colorado Rapids and the game ended in a 2-2 tie on Saturday night.

It was Messi's first appearance for Inter Miami since a hamstring issue led to him getting subbed out early in the second half of a CONCACAF Champions Cup match against Nashville on March 13. He had missed four Inter Miami games since, plus two games with Argentina.

He wasted little time announcing his return Saturday. Messi's fourth goal in as many MLS matches this season came in the 58th minute, beating Colorado keeper Zach Steffen with a low shot that hit the left goalpost, then skidded back across the goal mouth before settling into the next just inside of the right post.

“The most important thing was that he was feeling well and feeling comfortable,” Inter Miami coach Gerardo “Tata” Martino said of Messi. “It's sad to give up two goals but we continue to make mistakes that cost us points. ... It has to do with not reading the game right, not reading the moment, and it cost us.”

Not long after play resumed, Messi sent a pass to David Ruiz, who found Afonso all alone in front. Afonso put it home for his first MLS goal, giving Inter Miami the lead.

It didn't last. Bassett knotted things late in regulation and Inter Miami (3-2-3) had to settle for just one point instead of three. Rafael Navarro got the first goal for Colorado (2-2-3), scoring late in the first half on a penalty kick.

A pair of fans got onto the field in the final minutes in separate incidents, presumably to try to get a selfie with Messi. They were both quickly escorted off by security, and time expired shortly after the second fan got onto the pitch.

It was a costly night for Inter Miami, which has been besieged by injuries — going back all the way to the team's seven-match, around-the-world preseason tour — and now has more of those to deal with. The team was without seven players Saturday, plus lost Leo Campana late in the first half with what appeared to be a hamstring issue and Afonso a few minutes after his second-half goal.

Messi and his three former standout Barcelona teammates — Luis Suarez, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba — were all available Saturday, though none started. It's a clear sign that Inter Miami is trying to be cautious with workloads for its four oldest players, all of them age 35 or older. Alba and Busquets entered in the second half.

“We needed Busi to have fewer minutes,” Martino said.

Afonso was scheduled to play the full match, Martino added, but the injury changed that and plans were quickly switched out of necessity.

Inter Miami is in a stretch where it will play five matches in a span of 15 days. The team had a 1-1 draw with New York City FC on March 30, lost the first leg of a CONCACAF Champions Cup matchup 2-1 to Monterrey at home on Wednesday and hosted the Rapids on Saturday. It then goes to Mexico for the second leg of the CONCACAF series this coming Wednesday before finishing the stretch at Kansas City on April 13.

Playing on Saturday would indicate Messi should be able to play in the Monterrey rematch, Martino said.

Messi emerged from the bench area in the 35th minute to start warming up behind one of the end lines, the mere sight of him sending fans into a frenzy.

They almost missed a Miami goal at the other end.

Simultaneous to the initial Messi sighting, Julian Gressel found a bit of room and fired a 30-yarder from straightaway. The ball curled just left, keeping the match scoreless.

A few minutes later, that changed. Colorado's Kevin Cabral got taken down in the box — a few yards from where Messi was going through his warmup routine — and Navarro beat Inter Miami goalie Drake Callender with the penalty kick for a 1-0 lead.

AP MLS: https://apnews.com/hub/major-league-soccer

Colorado Rapids forward Rafael Navarro (9) scores against Inter Miami goalkeeper Drake Callender (1) on a penalty kick during the first half of an MLS soccer match Saturday, April 6, 2024, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Colorado Rapids forward Rafael Navarro (9) celebrates after scoring against Inter Miami on a penalty kick during the first half of an MLS soccer match Saturday, April 6, 2024, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Colorado Rapids, including midfielder Cole Bassett (23), celebrate a goal against Inter Miami by forward Rafael Navarro, obscured, during the first half of an MLS soccer match Saturday, April 6, 2024, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Inter Miami defender Julian Gressel (24) and Colorado Rapids forward Rafael Navarro (9) jump for a head ball during the first half of an MLS soccer match Saturday, April 6, 2024, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Inter Miami forward Leo Afonso (73) celebrates with defender Franco Negri, left, after scoring against the Colorado Rapids during the second half of an MLS soccer match, Saturday, April 6, 2024, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Inter Miami forward Leo Afonso, right, celebrates with teammate defender Franco Negri, left, after scoring against the Colorado Rapids during the second half of an MLS soccer match, Saturday, April 6, 2024, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi laughs, right, while talking to forward Luis Suarez as the pair sits on the bench ahead of an MLS soccer match against the Colorado Rapids, Saturday, April 6, 2024, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi, left, greets rapper Daddy Yankee, right, as he arrives to the field ahead of an MLS soccer match against the Colorado Rapids, Saturday, April 6, 2024, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi, right, takes an unsuccessful free kick against the Colorado Rapids during the second half of an MLS soccer match, Saturday, April 6, 2024, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi, center, kickss the ball past Colorado Rapids midfielder Oliver Larraz (18) during the second half of an MLS soccer match, Saturday, April 6, 2024, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Israel's military has ordered tens of thousands of people in the southern Gaza city of Rafah to begin evacuating, signaling that a long-promised ground invasion could be imminent.

The announcement on Monday complicated last-ditch efforts by international mediators to broker a cease-fire. Hamas and Qatar, a key mediator, have warned that an invasion of Rafah could derail the talks.

Israel has described Rafah as the last significant Hamas stronghold after seven months of war, and its leaders have repeatedly said they need to carry out a ground invasion to defeat the Islamic militant group.

Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani, an army spokesman, said some 100,000 people were being ordered to move to a nearby Israel-declared humanitarian zone called Muwasi. He said Israel was preparing a “limited scope operation” and would not say whether this was the beginning of a broader invasion of Rafah.

The Israel-Hamas war has driven around 80% of Gaza’s population of 2.3 million from their homes and caused vast destruction in several towns and cities. The death toll in Gaza has soared to more than 34,500 people, according to local health officials.

The war began Oct. 7 when Hamas attacked southern Israel, abducting about 250 people and killing around 1,200, mostly civilians. Israel says militants still hold around 100 hostages and the remains of more than 30 others.

Currently:

— Israeli army tells Palestinians to evacuate parts of Rafah ahead of an expected assault

— Hamas says latest cease-fire talks have ended. Israel vows military operation in ‘very near future’

— Israel orders Al Jazeera to close its local operation and seizes some of its equipment

— Netanyahu uses Holocaust ceremony to brush off international pressure against Gaza offensive

— Anti-war protesters leave USC after police arrive, while Northeastern ceremony proceeds calmly

— Israeli strike kills 4 civilians in southern Lebanon, state media says

Follow AP’s coverage of the war at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war

Here's the latest:

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke Monday morning, a White House official said, as Israel appeared closer to launching an offensive on the southern Gaza city of Rafah — a move staunchly opposed by the U.S. on humanitarian grounds.

The official spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the call before an official White House statement was released.

A National Security Council spokesperson said Biden reiterated U.S. concerns about an invasion of Rafah said he believes reaching a ceasefire with Hamas is the best way to protect the lives of Israeli hostages held in Gaza.

The Biden administration, which provides Israel crucial military and diplomatic support, says it opposes a Rafah invasion unless Israel provides a “credible” plan for protecting civilians there.

The United Nations humanitarian aid agency has warned that hundreds of thousands of people would be “at imminent risk of death” if Israel carries out a military assault into Rafah. The city on the border with Egypt is a critical entry point for humanitarian aid and is filled with displaced Palestinians, many in densely packed tent camps.

Associated Press writer Zeke Miller contributed.

CAIRO -- Egypt has urged Israel to “exercise maximum restraint and avoid further escalation at this extremely sensitive time in the process of cease-fire negotiations.”

In a statement Monday, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry warned against Israel’s imminent offensive in Gaza’s southernmost city of Rafah. It says such an escalation will cause grave humanitarian risks to over a million Palestinians packed in the city.

The statement said Egypt continues to communicate with all parties to “prevent the situation from getting worse or getting out of control.”

Egypt has been a key mediator in ongoing efforts to broker a cease-fire that would halt Israel’s offensive in Gaza in exchange for the release of Israeli hostages held by Hamas.

BERLIN — Germany and France have reiterated their opposition to Israel's planned offensive on Rafah in the south of the Gaza Strip.

A spokesperson for the German Foreign Office said Monday that more than 1 million people are currently living in the area, adding that “these people need protection ... and the German government and the foreign minister have already said repeatedly in the past that a large-scale ground offensive on Rafah would be a humanitarian disaster.”

At the same time, the spokesperson, Kathrin Deschauer, condemned the continued attacks by Hamas on Israel from the Gaza Strip, and called for the release of over 100 people “who are still held hostage by Hamas, who need to be freed.”

All sides must now make “maximum efforts,” she said, so that Palestinians in Gaza can be supplied with humanitarian goods and the hostages can be freed at the same time.

In Paris, the Foreign Ministry reiterated France's “firm opposition to Israel’s offensive in Rafah,” saying more than 1.3 million people are “in grave situation" after seeking shelter there.

France warned that “displacing civilian population by force constitutes a war crime under international law.”

The Foreign Ministry reiterated its position on the Israel-Hamas war, demanding an immediate release of Israeli hostages and a sustained cease-fire in Gaza to protect civilians.

On Sunday, French President Emmanuel Macron spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and urged him to follow through with the negotiations that could ‘’lead to the release of hostages, the protection of civilians by a cease-fire and regional de-escalation,’’ according to Macron’s office.

"’The destiny of the Palestinians of Gaza can no longer be subject to the terrorist actions of Hamas, and the Israeli operations should stop,’’ Macron said, and reiterated his ‘’firmest opposition’’ to an Israeli offensive in Rafah.

BEIRUT — The militant Palestinian group Hamas warned Israel on Monday that any military operation in the southern city of Rafah in the Gaza Strip "will not be a picnic."

Hamas said in statement that Palestinian militant groups, led by Hamas’ military wing, the Qassam Brigades, “are ready to defend our people and defeat the enemy.”

The statement was the first official comment since the Israeli army ordered tens of thousands of Palestinians in Rafah to start evacuating, signaling that a long-promised ground invasion could be imminent.

Hamas called on the international community to move quickly “to stop the crime that is threatening the lives of hundreds of thousands of civilians.” It also called on international agencies including the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees to stay in Rafah and support the people there.

BEIRUT — The Gaza Health Ministry said Monday the bodies of 52 people killed by Israeli strikes have been brought to local hospitals over the past 24 hours. Hospitals also received 90 wounded, it said in its daily report.

That brings the overall Palestinian death toll from the Israel-Hamas war to at least 34,735 the ministry said, and 78,108 wounded.

The Health Ministry does not distinguish between fighters and civilians in its tallies, but says that women and children make up around two-thirds of those killed.

The Israeli military says it has killed 13,000 militants, without providing evidence to back up the claim.

BEIRUT -- Dutch Foreign Minister Hanke Bruins Slot on Monday called for an urgent “diplomatic solution” to end intensifying clashes between the Lebanese Hezbollah militant group and the Israeli military along the tense Lebanon-Israel border.

“The Netherlands has grave concerns about rising tensions in the border region and intensified fighting, and we regret the loss of innocent civilian lives,” Bruins Slot said following a meeting with her Lebanese counterpart, caretaker Foreign Minister Fouad Bou Habib in Beirut. “And this has implications for Lebanon and the wider region.”

Israel, which sees Hezbollah as its most direct threat, has not ruled out a war in southern Lebanon. It estimates that the Iran-backed Shiite group has some 150,000 rockets and missiles aimed at the country. Hezbollah and Israel fought a monthlong war in 2006 that ended in a tense stalemate.

Western diplomats have scrambled to halt the hostilities. Hezbollah, and ally of the militant Palestinian group Hamas, has maintained that it would stop its attacks on northern Israel when the Hamas-Israel war ends.

JERUSALEM — The Norwegian Refugee Council has condemned the Israeli army’s “forced, unlawful” evacuation order in Rafah, saying that it could lead to “the deadliest phase of this conflict.”

Jan Egeland, secretary-general of the international nonprofit organization, says there are not enough resources in Israel’s self-declared Muwasi humanitarian zone, where the army instructed some 100,000 people in Rafah to relocate on Monday.

“The area is already overstretched and devoid of vital services,” Egeland said.

He says his organization and other international humanitarian groups are struggling to provide essential support for Palestinians in Gaza. More than half of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents are currently located in Rafah, while Israel’s government has vowed to press on with a military operation in Gaza’s southernmost city.

JERUSALEM -- The Israeli army says a fourth soldier has died from wounds sustained in a Hamas rocket attack on the border with Gaza.

Hamas launched at least 10 rockets toward soldiers positioned on the border Sunday, killing three other soldiers.

The attack occurred near Kerem Shalom, a major crossing point for international aid being delivered to Gaza, and came as Israel is preparing a possible invasion into the nearby Palestinian city of Rafah.

Israel has shuttered Kerem Shalom indefinitely, and on Monday, it began ordering civilians to evacuate parts of eastern Rafah, near the border, ahead of an expected military operation.

RAFAH, Gaza Strip -- The United Nations agency serving Palestinian refugees says it will not comply with an Israeli military order to evacuate parts of the southern Gaza city of Rafah.

Juliette Touma, communications director for UNRWA, says the agency has not evacuated the area and has no plans to do so. She says it has thousands of employees in the city.

“UNRWA will not take part in any forced evacuation of the population in Rafah or elsewhere in Gaza,” she said. “We are committed to staying and delivering humanitarian assistance.” She called for a cease-fire.

Relations between Israel and UNRWA have long been strained and further deteriorated during the seven-month war.

Israel has accused UNRWA of collaborating with the Hamas militant group and called for the agency’s closure.

UNRWA, the largest international provider of aid and services in Gaza, denies the accusations.

BERLIN — Germany’s Foreign Office on Monday condemned the shutdown of Qatar’s Al Jazeera satellite news network in Israel.

The Foreign Office wrote on X that “a free and diverse press landscape is the cornerstone of every liberal democracy. In times of conflict especially, it is of crucial importance to protect the freedom of the press.”

“The decision of the Israeli authorities to shut down Al Jazeera in Israel is the wrong signal,” the ministry said.

Germany has for decades been a staunch supporter of Israel. Berlin, however, has gradually shifted its tone as civilian casualties in Gaza have soared, becoming increasingly critical of the humanitarian situation in Gaza and speaking out against a ground offensive in Rafah.

JERUSALEM — The Israeli army has ordered tens of thousands of people in the southern Gaza city of Rafah to begin evacuating, signaling that a long-promised ground invasion could be imminent.

The announcement on Monday complicated last-ditch efforts by international mediators, including the director of the CIA, to broker a cease-fire. Hamas and Qatar, a key mediator, have warned that an invasion of Rafah could derail the talks.

Israel has described Rafah as the last significant Hamas stronghold after seven months of war, and its leaders have repeatedly said they need to carry out a ground invasion to defeat the Islamic militant group.

Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani, an army spokesman, said some 100,000 people were being ordered to move to a nearby Israel-declared humanitarian zone called Muwasi. He said Israel was preparing a “limited scope operation” and would not say whether this was the beginning of a broader invasion of the city. But last October, Israel did not formally announce the launch of a ground invasion that continues to this day.

BEIRUT — An Israeli airstrike on northeastern Lebanon wounded three people and destroyed a building, Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency says.

The strike on the village of Safri early Monday targeted a factory in the eastern Bekaa Valley, the agency said without giving further details.

The Israeli military said its fighter jets struck a Hezbollah military structure in Safri.

Monday’s strike came after a tense day along the Lebanon-Israel border during which an Israeli airstrike on a village near the border killed four Lebanese civilians.

The militant Hezbollah group said it fired dozens of rockets in retaliation toward northern Israel.

The Lebanon-Israel border has seen almost daily exchange of fire since a day after the Israel-Hamas war started on Oct. 7.

Israeli strikes have killed more than 350 people in Lebanon, most of them fighters with Hezbollah and allied groups but also including more than 50 civilians. In Israel, strikes from Lebanon have killed at least 10 civilians and 12 soldiers.

An Israeli tank overlooks the Gaza Strip, as seen from southern Israel, Monday, May 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Tsafrir Abayov)

This satellite image taken by Planet Labs PBC shows Rafah in the Gaza Strip, center, Saturday, May 4, 2024. The Israeli army ordered some 100,000 Palestinians on Monday, May 6, 2024, to begin evacuating from the southern city of Rafah in Gaza, signaling that a long-promised ground invasion there could be imminent and further complicating efforts to broker a cease-fire. In the image, Egypt can be seen to the left, Israel to the bottom right corner. (Planet Labs PBC via AP)

A Palestinian woman mourns her relative, 7-month old baby Hani Qeshta, who was killed in an Israeli bombardment on a residential building with Qeshta's family, at the morgue of Al Najjar hospital in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, Sunday, May 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Ismael Abu Dayyah)

An Israeli Defense Forces tank drives away from the Gaza Strip, as seen from southern Israel, Monday, May 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Tsafrir Abayov)

Palestinians flee from the eastern side of the southern Gaza city of Rafah after the Israeli army orders them to evacuate ahead of a military operation, in Rafah, Gaza Strip, Monday, May 6, 2024. The order affects tens of thousands of people and could signal a broader invasion of Rafah, which Israel has identified as Hamas' last major stronghold after seven months of war. (AP Photo/Ismael Abu Dayyah)

An Israeli Defense Forces tank drives away from the Gaza Strip, as seen from southern Israel, Monday, May 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Tsafrir Abayov)

An Israeli Defense Forces tank drives away from the Gaza Strip, as seen from southern Israel, Monday, May 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Tsafrir Abayov)

Palestinians flee from the eastern side of the southern Gaza city of Rafah after the Israeli army orders them to evacuate ahead of a military operation, in Rafah, Gaza Strip, Monday, May 6, 2024. The order affects tens of thousands of people and could signal a broader invasion of Rafah, which Israel has identified as Hamas' last major stronghold after seven months of war. (AP Photo/Ismael Abu Dayyah)

Palestinians flee from the eastern side of the southern Gaza city of Rafah after the Israeli army orders them to evacuate ahead of a military operation, in Rafah, Gaza Strip, Monday, May 6, 2024. The order affects tens of thousands of people and could signal a broader invasion of Rafah, which Israel has identified as Hamas' last major stronghold after seven months of war. (AP Photo/Ismael Abu Dayyah)

Palestinians flee from the eastern side of the southern Gaza city of Rafah after the Israeli army orders them to evacuate ahead of a military operation, in Rafah, Gaza Strip, Monday, May 6, 2024. The order affects tens of thousands of people and could signal a broader invasion of Rafah, which Israel has identified as Hamas' last major stronghold after seven months of war. (AP Photo/Ismael Abu Dayyah)

An Israeli tank overlooks the Gaza Strip, as seen from southern Israel, Monday, May 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Tsafrir Abayov)

The office of late Al Jazeera network journalist Shireen Abu Akleh is decorated with memorial items, inside the network's office, in the West Bank city of Ramallah Sunday, May 5, 2024. Israel ordered the local offices of Qatar's Al Jazeera satellite news network to close Sunday, escalating a long-running feud between the broadcaster and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's hard-line government as Doha-mediated cease-fire negotiations with Hamas hang in the balance. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)

Palestinians react next to the bodies of their relatives who were killed in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza Stirp, at the Al Aqsa hospital in Deir al Balah, Gaza, Sunday, May 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Palestinians react next to the bodies of their relatives who were killed in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza Stirp, at the Al Aqsa hospital in Deir al Balah, Gaza, Sunday, May 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

A Palestinian woman mourns her relative, 7-month old baby Hani Qeshta, who was killed in an Israeli bombardment on a residential building with Qeshta's family, at the morgue of Al Najjar hospital in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, Sunday, May 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Ismael Abu Dayyah)

Israeli soldiers drive a tank at a staging ground near the border with the Gaza Strip, in southern Israel, Sunday, May 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Tsafrir Abayov)

The Qeshta family is seen in body bags at the morgue of Al Najjar hospital in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, Sunday, May 5, 2024. The family was killed in an Israeli bombardment on a residential building in Rafah. (AP Photo/Ismael Abu Dayyah)