For a while, it looked like the most avoidable part of Inter Miami's game against Ecuadorian champion Independiente del Valle would be the fact that both teams were wearing black kits.
Then some fans at Puerto Rico's Estadio Juan Ramón Loubriel decided it was their time to shine.
A 2-1 Miami win to cap off a set of international games ended in abject chaos after multiple fans ran onto the field in the 89th minute. The first was shirtless. The second and third were wearing Lionel Messi jerseys, one from Miami and one from Barcelona, and naturally wanted a selfie with the superstar.
Unfortunately, the first field invader then grabbed Messi from behind as security closed in on him, leading to both men getting taken down to the ground. Messi got back up quickly and appeared unhurt, just annoyed.
As you can see, that wasn't even the end of the chaos:
All of that came after Messi scored the game-winning goal in the 70th minute.
The friendly was originally scheduled for Feb. 13, but was postponed when Messi sustained a hamstring injury in a preseason match. Inter Miami opted to reschedule the match after its MLS season opener, a 3-0 loss to LAFC.
The event was organized in collaboration with the government of Puerto Rico. If Miami opts to return, you would imagine it insists on more stringent field-level security.
