Messi's last-second assist lifts Inter Miami over Atlas 2-1 in Leagues Cup

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Lionel Messi had two assists, including one in the final seconds of the match, to help lift Inter Miami over Atlas 2-1 in their Leagues Cup opener on Wednesday night.

It was Messi's first game since he and teammate Jordi Alba were suspended one match by Major League Soccer for skipping its All-Star game. He connected with Marcelo Weigandt for the winning score in the final minute of stoppage time.

“It's a competition that we always do well in,” Messi said in Spanish during a post-match interview with Apple TV. “I think we did a great job against a great team.”

Messi also assisted on Telasco Segovia's goal that opened scoring. He received a through ball from Sergio Busquets and sent it to Segovia for an easy finish in the 58th.

Rivaldo Lozano scored the equalizer for the Guadalajara club in the 80th minute before Weigandt's goal in the 96th that had to be confirmed by VAR after he was originally ruled offside.

That meant five assists in July for Messi, who was named the Major League Soccer Player of the Month after netting eight goals and helping Miami go 4-1-1 in league play.

Both sides had their chances during a chippy first half that saw a brief heated exchange between Inter Miami coach Javier Mascherano and Atlas coach Gonzalo Pineda after an Atlas player went down.

“It’s just a soccer situation,” Pineda said through an interpreter, adding that he was upset when play continued. “I was protesting that play. I told him (Mascherano) that it was nothing against him, just a soccer play. We talked about it in the dressing room, nothing beyond that.”

Miami goalkeeper Rocco Ríos Novo had three saves in the first half, including one in which he slid over to deny Eduardo Aguirre on a header to the back post. Luis Suárez blasted a shot off the crossbar on the final play of the first half.

Argentine midfielder Rodrigo De Paul made his Inter Miami debut. De Paul, Messi’s national team buddy, officially signed with the club last week.

After Weigandt's goal was confirmed, fireworks erupted at Chase Stadium. Messi pumped his fist in celebration as he embraced De Paul and Suárez.

Pineda said he was surprised to see Messi so happy to win the match, given how many high-stakes games the 38-year-old has played in.

“He’s won so much," Pineda said. "He’s usually quite (even-keeled) in general.”

Mascherano said the celebrations were a response to winning a tense match.

“We play to win,” Mascherano said through an interpreter. “That’s what this beautiful sport is about. ... The way that we celebrated is probably just a way to vent how we felt at the time. We won a game that we didn’t play brilliantly, and at the final second, in an epic way, we were able to win it.”

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

Inter Miami midfielder Rodrigo De Paul, right, and forward Lionel Messi arrive ahead of a Leagues Cup group stage soccer match against Atlas, Wednesday, July 30, 2025, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi, back, attempts to score past Atlas defender Doria (5) and goalkeeper Camilo Vargas (12) during the first half of a Leagues Cup group stage soccer match, Wednesday, July 30, 2025, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Atlas defender Jose Lozano (17) celebrates with substitutes warming up on the sideline after scoring his side's first goal against Inter Miami, during the second half of a Leagues Cup group stage soccer match, Wednesday, July 30, 2025, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Inter Miami midfielder Telasco Segovia, right, celebrates scoring his side's first goal, along with teammates forward Lionel Messi, second right, and midfielder Sergio Busquets, second left, during the second half of a Leagues Cup group stage soccer match against Atlas, Wednesday, July 30, 2025, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi, right, is pursued by Atlas defender Doria (5) during the first half of a Leagues Cup group stage soccer match, Wednesday, July 30, 2025, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

PHOENIX (AP) — Lauren Betts forced herself to repeatedly watch last season's Final Four debacle against UConn, using the lessons learned in this year's return trip to the national semifinals.

The two-time All-American did her homework following a season-low points in UCLA's only loss of the season, applying what she gleaned from the game film to help take down Texas in the rematch.

Betts opened up about her mental health issues, the honesty taking a weight off her shoulders while, hopefully, helping others facing their own darkness.

This life of hers has been a pursuit of perfection — or at least the best version of herself — and Betts capped the college basketball portion of it by reaching the pinnacle of her sport with one final dominating performance.

UCLA won its first NCAA national championship with a 79-51 blowout of South Carolina on Sunday and Betts, as she’s been throughout her career, was the catalyst at both ends of the floor.

“I showed up with zero confidence and wasn’t sure if I wanted to really play basketball for that much longer,” Betts said. "Coach Cori (Close) really believed in me and wanted to see me accomplish everything that I’d ever dreamed of. They wanted me to see myself the way they all see me and and I feel like now at this point I can finally, truly do that.”

The 6-foot-7 senior shook off a first-half coughing fit — the dry desert air got to her — to finish with 14 points, 11 rebounds and two blocked shots. She altered and prevented even the thought of several others at the rim to give UCLA its first national championship since taking the 1978 AIAW title.

“She’s a very dominant player,” South Carolina's Tessa Johnson said. “She's consistent and effective. It's hard to scout that.”

Betts had a similar impact in UCLA's 51-44 shutdown of Texas in the national semifinals, a 16-point, 11-rebound, three-block performance that set the stage for her to be selected as the Final Four's most outstanding player.

So what if the NCAA forgot to bring the trophy to the stage.

Betts got to share a national championship with her younger sister, Sienna, a freshman on the team, along with friends and family in the stands.

“They were crying more than I was because they’ve seen me since my sophomore year, just how I matured and it has been really special for them,” Betts said. "They mean so much to me.”

The closing flourish capped a rocky-at-times career.

Betts was the nation's No. 1 high school recruit out of Grandview High School, in Aurora, Colorado, and chose to play at perennial powerhouse Stanford. She had a solid freshman season, but the building mental health issues she had been struggling with began to bubble closer to the surface even after she transferred to UCLA.

Betts opened up about her struggles last year and expounded upon it in a recent first-person story, in which she detailed the brutal hospital conditions and the epiphany once she got out — that she wanted to be here.

“I just feel like for me, basketball and this platform that I’ve been given, I was put on this earth to do more than play basketball,” Betts said. “I think the journey I’ve had, the hardships I’ve went through are to help other people.”

Betts dedicated herself to getting better, on and off the court, and became one of the nation's best college basketball players.

She was UCLA's first Associated Press All-American a year ago and backed that up with another All-American nod after averaging 18.5 points and 7.6 rebounds while shooting 60.1% from the field and leading the Bruins with 71 blocked shots.

With Betts anchoring the middle, the Bruins (37-1) one-upped the program's first trip the Final Four last year with the best season in history.

UCLA reeled off a school-record 31 straight wins following the 76-65 loss to Texas, including the payback win in the national semifinals. The Bruins then erased memories of last year's blowout Final Four loss to UConn with its first NCAA national championship.

Betts, as usual, was at the center of it all, the best version of herself leading to the greatest moment of her and her teammates' lives.

AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-womens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness

UCLA center Lauren Betts (51) celebrates after a play against South Carolina during the second half of the women's National Championship Final Four NCAA college basketball tournament game, Sunday, April 5, 2026, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

UCLA center Lauren Betts (51) shoots over South Carolina center Madina Okot (11) during the second half of the women's National Championship Final Four NCAA college basketball tournament game, Sunday, April 5, 2026, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)

South Carolina forward Joyce Edwards (8) shoots around UCLA center Lauren Betts (51) during the second half of the women's National Championship Final Four NCAA college basketball tournament game, Sunday, April 5, 2026, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

UCLA head coach Cori Close, left, hugs UCLA center Lauren Betts (51) during the second half of the women's National Championship Final Four NCAA college basketball tournament game against South Carolina, Sunday, April 5, 2026, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)