Lionel Messi’s stunning free kick ruled out due to little-known rule

Lionel Messi dragged Inter Miami back from the brink on Wednesday night, scoring twice to secure a comeback victory over LAFC. The Argentine’s scored a stunning long-range strike and a late penalty, but also saw an ingenious free kick ruled out in the first half.

Miami were trailing 1-0 from the first leg of their Concacaf Champions Cup quarter-final and fell further behind in the early stages when Aaron Long stabbed the ball home for LAFC after just eight minutes.

Messi then took control of the game and sparked a memorable comeback for the Herons. He could easily have walked away with a hat trick, had a clever free kick not been ruled out. Here’s a look at the strike in question...

Quick thinking from Messi, but why didn’t the goal stand? The free kick was a result of a clumsy tackle from Ryan Hollingshead and the LAFC defender was given a yellow card by the referee. That card meant that Inter Miami were unable to take a quick free kick and were required to wait until the referee had restarted the game with a whistle.

A memorandum from the US Soccer Federation outlines the ruling: “Once the referee has decided to issue a card, whether to caution or send off a player from either team, the restart must be delayed to give the card.”

It continues: “In such a situation, the referee’s first action must be to announce clearly, by voice and, if necessary, by the commonly understood action of holding the whistle up in the air and pointing to it, that play may not restart until another signal is given.”

It denied Messi a sixth goal in five Concacaf Champions Cup games this year but Miami still had enough to progress to the semi-final. There they will face MLS rivals Vancouver Whitecaps with the chance of a continental title coming into view.

Speaking after the game, Miami head coach Javier Mascherano paid tribute to Messi’s impact with the team: “He’s the soul of this team. There’s no doubt. Sometimes I get uncomfortable talking about him because he’s been my teammate for over 20 years and now I have to help him in this role as coach.”

“Besides that, because the game is not just about wanting it, it’s about having the capabilities and he’s got that because he’s the greatest of all time. I’m just thankful to have been able to play with him as long as I did and now in this last stage I get to see him train and try to help him continue competing and being happy.”

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