Miami showed they 'want to compete' with Porto win, says Messi

Lionel Messi believes Inter Miami showed that they "want to compete" at the Club World Cup after coming from behind to beat Porto on Thursday.

Miami's 2-1 victory over Porto was their first-ever win at the Club World Cup, with Telasco Segovia and Messi turning the tables in the second half, after Samu Aghehowa's early penalty in Atlanta.

Messi netted the winner with a stunning free-kick, his 68th such goal for club and country, scoring at least one in 12 different competitions (plus international friendlies).

In fact, it was his 50th goal for Miami in his 61st appearance for the club, while it was Messi's second goal against Porto, having also scored and assisted against them in the 2011 UEFA Cup final.

Overall, it was Messi's sixth goal at the Club World Cup, having scored five for Barcelona across three title-winning campaigns.

And he was delighted with the performance from Miami as they rallied to earn an important three points.

"It was a great effort from the whole team," Messi told DAZN.

"Not only did we defend, but we managed the ball well. We had a sour taste after the game against Al Ahly. This is a very important victory, and we'll enjoy it.

"It is being seen that we want to compete; we competed against a good team, and here and there, we gave away the first half. The young guys had nerves playing in this competition for the first time."

Miami managed just six shots in the game, with five on target, as they accumulated 0.9 expected goals (xG), compared to 1.7 from Porto, who had 14 attempts (three on target).

They also managed just 11 touches in the opposition box to Porto's 35, though both teams had an equal share of possession in a tight contest.

Head coach Javier Mascherano, like Messi, believes Miami showed their best capabilities.

"I think the guys did a fantastic job," he told DAZN. "They were working really, really hard against a team that had a lot of quality at a high level.

"We showed to the world and ourselves that we can compete against any team.

"The first half was good also. The players understood they could do it. When they are together, when we are narrow, next to our team-mates, we can do something amazing."

Porto's head coach, Martin Anselmi, meanwhile, was disappointed his side, who missed two big chances at the end of the first half, including Alan Varela hitting the post, could not build on their strong start.

"We didn't play as we should have tactically," he said. "They have good players, and they didn't allow us to win the ball back, and when we got even, it was too late.

"We should have done it earlier. We have to take the blame for these moments. They were more capable."

Miami sit second in Group A, level on four points with Palmeiras, who beat Al Ahly 2-0 earlier on Thursday after a storm delay. The Herons face the Brazilian side in their final game, needing a point to qualify from the group.