Noah Allen scored in the second half before a late penalty gave Inter Miami the chance to take the lead in the tie, with Messi taking it clinically in what was an epic comeback.

Lionel Messi and Inter Miami are headed to the CONCACAF Champions Cup semifinals and it took a dramatic three-goal comeback to get there.

Lionel Messi's second goal of the night, an 84th-minute penalty kick, capped Inter Miami's 3-1 win over Los Angeles FC on Wednesday in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., sending the Herons to the semifinals of the CONCACAF Champions Cup.

Inter Miami face elimination from the Concacaf Champions League quarterfinals in Wednesday's second leg, which offers a chance to reverse course after losing the first leg to LAFC last week. The good news for Inter Miami is that the margin of defeat in Los Angeles was a narrow one – LAFC notched a 1-0 win last week thanks to a goal from Nathan Ordaz in the 57th minute.

Lionel Messi has done it again. Inter Miami entered Wednesday's second leg vs. LAFC in the Concacaf Champions Cup quarterfinals trailing 1-0, needing to overturn a deficit. Matters were made worse in just the ninth minute when LAFC center-back Aaron Long brilliantly connected on an errant ball to make it 2-0 on aggregate,

The away goal rule being in effect meant the Herons needed three goals to win the tie outright. Lionel Messi clawed one back in the 36th minute. The Argentine fired a shot across his body past Hugo Lloris with his left foot at the far post.

Messi's clinical play and nonstop engine, albeit sputtering at times, helped Miami advance to the Concacaf Champions League semifinals.

Lionel Messi and Inter Miami are headed to the CONCACAF Champions Cup semifinals and it took a dramatic three-goal comeback to get there.

Two more teams will book their passage to the Champions Cup quarter-finals this evening as we have matches in Miami and Mexico City.Here is what went down.Pumas 2-2 Vancouver Whitecaps