FORT LAUDERDALE — It wasn’t as easy for Inter Miami this time.

Instead, the home squad had to grit and grind its way through a physical, slow-paced match versus in-state rival Orlando City for a 3-1 victory.

Still, Lionel Messi scored early and then scored late, and he’s now up to five goals in his first three games.

Inter Miami fielded the same starting lineup as it did against Atlanta United last week. That meant that Jordi Alba, the star left-back and former teammate of Messi and midfielder Sergio Busquets at FC Barcelona, wasn’t inserted for his debut until the 64th minute.

Midfielder Diego Gomez, who was signed by Inter Miami under Major League Soccer’s U-22 initiative in mid-July, was made available for the first time and also debuted in the 64th minute. He and Alba embraced each other with a hug before stepping onto the field together.

It was also the first time Messi and Busquets played the full 90 minutes with Inter Miami.

Miami advances to the round of 16 of the Leagues Cup with the win and will face FC Dallas in Frisco, Texas, on Sunday.

The match was delayed by an hour and a half when a thunderstorm rolled through DRV PNK Stadium. Both teams were about 10 minutes into their warmups when they were pulled from the field and fans were ordered to empty the stadium bowl and seek shelter.

It did, however, amp up the crowd after the long delay. Many fans stood on the near sideline for the entirety of warmups and went wild when Messi sent a wave back to them. The crowd also showered the Orlando City players with boos when they returned to the field.

Alba was then formally introduced by Inter Miami’s co-owners and received his pink No. 18 jersey before the National Anthem. The crowd serenaded Alba with a “Jordi, Jordi” chant too.

Jordi Alba formally introduced by #InterMiamiCF co-owners before the match

— Sam Sklar (@sklarsam_) August 3, 2023

Orlando particularly did a great job of slowing Inter Miami’s attack. They did so by preventing play through Messi and Busquets, which ultimately made for a much slower pace of play. But even so, it wasn’t a complete plug on Inter Miami’s explosiveness.

“I feel like they were a bit lost when we started moving a lot in the middle and started touching around them,” midfielder Benjamin Cremaschi said.

Messi didn’t touch the ball much in the opening minutes of the match, but of course he only needed a pair of touches to make his mark.

Forward Robert Taylor, who also scored twice against Atlanta and has already demonstrated a keen chemistry with Messi, lofted a pass to the center of Orlando’s box where Messi was unmarked. Messi chested the ball down to himself, then slammed a volley into the net.

It was scored in the seventh minute, one minute earlier than his first goal against Atlanta.

MESSI X ROBERT TAYLOR BANGERS ONLY 🤯🤯

Taylor puts Messi in with the chip to give us the early lead over Orlando City.#MIAvORL | 📺#MLSSeasonPass on @AppleTV

— Inter Miami CF (@InterMiamiCF) August 3, 2023

Orlando City shook off the early goal 10 minutes later by converting a short-corner. Miami goalkeeper Drake Callender made an initial diving stop with his hands, but the rebound deflected directly to a waiting Orlando attacker. Midfielder César Araújo picked his spot and fired a shot past an off-balance Callender.

Things with Messi then got chippy when Orlando midfielder Wilder Cartagena was whistled for a hand ball on a hard challenge at Messi. Cartagena stood over the top of the ball to prevent an Inter Miami attack and Messi responded with a two-handed shove in the 19th minute.

Messi was then booked with a yellow card two minutes later for the very first time with Miami when he went in for a late challenge from the back of Cartagena.

He was involved again in another mix up just before halftime when he drew a foul as Inter Miami attacked. Orlando’s Kyle Smith received a yellow card for the foul, but a scrum ensued with numerous players involved and the side officials aiding as peacekeepers. Busquets was one of the Inter Miami players who participated, delivering a shove to an Orlando player.

Tensions boiled over early in the second half when Inter Miami forward Josef Martinez was dragged to the ground in Orlando’s box while trying to make a run. A penalty kick was awarded and Orlando defender Antônio Carlos was assessed a yellow card.

Martinez approached the ball with a stutter, then buried it into the bottom left corner to regain the lead in the 51st minute.

“It was just like (how) a derby game should be,” Taylor said. “Everyone’s motivation turns a little bit higher. Both teams really want to win the game, so I think it’s normal.”

Messi drew another Orlando yellow card just a few minutes later when he collided with Orlando’s Mauricio Pereyra on a 50-50 ball. He appeared to receive the blow up high and stayed down on the field for several minutes while trainers checked him out, but remained in the game.

However, Messi got the last laugh late in the second half on a perfectly executed combination play in the 72nd minute.

Taylor made a run down the left sideline, then serviced a ball toward the back post for a waiting Martinez. Martinez played it off his chest and sent a pass back to the middle for Messi’s one-time volley.

“Every time Messi gets the ball inside and he’s on his left foot, he’ll want three guys making a run for him,” Taylor said, “so I’ll always try to make a run for him to get me the ball.”

Doblete de MESSI 2️⃣#MIAvORL | 3-1 | 📺#MLSSeasonPass on @AppleTV

— Inter Miami CF (@InterMiamiCF) August 3, 2023

Orlando City won a free kick in the final minutes and a dangerous service brought Callender off his line. He leaped up to snatch the ball, but simultaneously collided with defender Kamal Miller. Both of them were shaken up and play was stopped, but they remained in the match until the final whistle.

Orlando added a second goal in the 99th minute, but video review disallowed it for offsides.

Inter Miami is now 3-0 since Messi and Busquets arrived. Sunday’s match will be the first time they play on the road since joining Inter Miami.