Messi scores first goal at expanded Club World Cup, leading Inter Miami to 2-1 win over Porto

ATLANTA (AP) — Lionel Messi scored his first goal of the expanded Club World Cup on a patented free kick in the 54th minute to break a tie in Inter Miami's 2-1 victory over Porto on Thursday.

Messi was taken down just outside the penalty area by Rodrigo Mora on a run down the middle of the field. With chants of “Messi! Messi!” rocking Mercedes-Benz Stadium, the 37-year-old Argentine star's left-footed blast cleared the wall and sailed into the top right corner.

Inter Miami tied it at 1-all on Telasco Segovia's goal two minutes into the second half off a cross into the box from from Marcelo Weigandt.

Messi’s goal serves as a continuation of good form in the calendar year. Though the team has had a slow start, he has 10 goals and six assists in 12 starts in Major League Soccer. It felt like a home game for Miami, with an overwhelmingly pink crowd in Atlanta.

“The whole team made a great effort,” Messi told DAZN. “We controlled the ball very well, and we’re very happy.”

With Messi's 38th birthday less than a week away, his continued success is a positive sign for fans, including the thousands wearing No. 10 jerseys inside the stadium, that his retirement is still a ways away.

The MLS club and two-time European champion Porto were held to scoreless draws in their opening Group A matches.

“Extraordinary,” Weigandt said. “When I saw the ball take off with such power I said, ‘No, that’s it'. We're already used to this kind of thing. ... Knowing him has shown me what a great person he is, and that only makes him greater and more extraordinary.”

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Inter Miami's Lionel Messi, center, celebrates after scoring his side's second goal during the Club World Cup group A soccer match between Inter Miami and FC Porto in Atlanta, Thursday, June 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

Inter Miami's Lionel Messi, second left, celebrates with Luis Suarez after scoring his side's second goal during the Club World Cup group A soccer match between Inter Miami and FC Porto in Atlanta, Thursday, June 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

Inter Miami's Lionel Messi reacts after scoring during the Club World Cup group A soccer match between Inter Miami and FC Porto in Atlanta, Thursday, June 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

Inter Miami's Lionel Messi, center, celebrates after scoring his side's second goal during the Club World Cup group A soccer match between Inter Miami and FC Porto in Atlanta, Thursday, June 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

Inter Miami's Lionel Messi, second left, celebrates with Luis Suarez after scoring his side's second goal during the Club World Cup group A soccer match between Inter Miami and FC Porto in Atlanta, Thursday, June 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

Inter Miami's Lionel Messi, center, celebrates after scoring his side's second goal during the Club World Cup group A soccer match between Inter Miami and FC Porto in Atlanta, Thursday, June 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

Inter Miami's Lionel Messi scores his side's second goal during the Club World Cup group A soccer match between Inter Miami and FC Porto in Atlanta, Thursday, June 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

NEW YORK (AP) — Some of New York's biggest basketball heroes were second-round draft picks.

Like Jalen Brunson, the guy marching through Manhattan with the Larry O'Brien Trophy in his arms last week during a joyous parade celebration. And Willis Reed, the guy who limped into Game 7 of the NBA Finals to lift the Knicks to their first championship.

So when the NBA draft resumed Wednesday night with the Knicks on the clock with the No. 31 pick, every team had hope of finding someone who can be a key piece of a title team.

They drafted Ohio State guard Bruce Thornton, but had already agreed to trade the rights to the pick to Houston by the time NBA deputy commissioner Mark Tatum announced the selection.

Thornton was given a Knicks hat when his name was announced. He was wearing a Rockets one by the time he arrived for his interviews.

He was just happy to get to the NBA, even if it was in Texas and not with the new champions.

“No state tax, so that's even better,” said Thornton, Ohio State's career scoring leader.

The first round, which began with Washington selecting AJ Dybantsa, finished late Tuesday night.

In a much different NBA with a different draft format, Reed was the No. 8 pick in the 1964 draft, which made him the first pick of the second round. The Hall of Famer went on to lead the Knicks to championships in 1970 and 1973 and was the NBA Finals MVP both times.

Brunson was the No. 33 pick in the 2018 draft, taken early in the second round by the Dallas Mavericks. The Knicks signed him as a free agent in 2022 and the franchise hs been on the rise ever since, culminating with their five-game victory over the San Antonio Spurs earlier this month when Brunson was MVP of the series.

Among the other well-known names taken early in the second round were Richie Saunders, Dybantsa's BYU teammate who was taken at No. 32 by Memphis; Duke's Isaiah Evans, who went undrafted in the first round and was selected at No. 33 with a pick belonging to Minnesota; and Purdue's Braden Smith, the NCAA's career assists leader, who was taken at No. 38 by Chicago.

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/nba

Meleek Thomas, right, poses for a photo with NBA Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum after being selected by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the second round of the NBA basketball draft Wednesday, June 24, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Jack Kayil, right, poses for a photo with NBA Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum after being selected by the Houston Rockets in the second round of the NBA basketball draft Wednesday, June 24, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Bruce Thornton waves after being selected by the New York Knicks in the second round of the NBA basketball draft Wednesday, June 24, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Bruce Thornton poses for a photo with NBA Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum after being selected by the New York Knicks in the second round of the NBA basketball draft Wednesday, June 24, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver speaks during the first round of the NBA basketball draft, Tuesday, June 23, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

in the first round of the NBA basketball draft, Tuesday, June 23, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)