Lionel Messi and Inter Miami end Saturday's game with the New York Red Bulls in a 2-2 tied game

Harrison, N.J. — A match billed as a generational collision delivered exactly that on Saturday night, as 37-year-old Lionel Messi and 17-year-old Adri Mehmeti each authored decisive moments that finished in a 2-2 draw between Inter Miami and the New York Red Bulls.

The result keeps Miami (3-1-3) unbeaten in six consecutive MLS outings and extends the club’s point streak inside its new stadium, which opened seven days earlier with a draw against Austin FC. For the Red Bulls (3-2-2), the point snapped a four-match winless slide and provided a morale boost after they surrendered an early advantage.

Jorge Ruvalcaba had given the hosts a 1-0 lead, but Miami clawed back through teenage winger Mateo Silvetti to level before halftime. The pivotal sequence arrived in the 55th minute, when Messi, surrounded inside the area by no fewer than four Red Bull shirts, saw the ball knocked off his foot only for it to roll invitingly to Germán Berterame. The Argentine midfielder smashed a first-time right-footed strike past Ethan Horvath, handing Miami its first lead on home soil and igniting a raucous celebration that ended with Messi locking Berterame in a headlock beside the corner flag.

The advantage lasted 22 minutes. In the 77th, Julian Hall, himself only 18, darted to the end line and cut back a precise ball that Mehmeti—born two days after Messi’s famous Champions League brace for Barcelona on April 8, 2009—steered home for his maiden MLS goal.

Both sides thought they had gone ahead again, only for offside flags—and, in New York’s case, a video review—to nullify the efforts. Deep into stoppage time, Messi stood over a 25-yard free kick and curled a dipping effort that Horvath parried away to preserve the 2-2 scoreline.

The draw leaves Miami searching for its first victory in its new surroundings, while the Red Bulls will take heart from salvaging a result after relinquishing control.