Lionel Messi returned to Inter Miami action on Saturday following his announcement that he is retiring from international football, helping the Major League Soccer champions to a 2-2 draw with Atlanta United.

The Argentine superstar marked his return by creating both of Miami’s goals, underlining his continued importance to the club just days after revealing his decision to step away from the Argentina national team.

The match was delayed by 90 minutes because of thunderstorms and lightning, but Messi provided plenty of fireworks once play finally got underway.

Miami opened the scoring in the 32nd minute when Brazilian midfielder Casemiro rose to head home Messi’s corner.

Atlanta hit back just three minutes later, with former Newcastle forward Miguel Almirón firing a low shot beyond the Miami defence.

Messi was again at the centre of the action just before half-time. He started a move down the left that eventually allowed former Liverpool and Barcelona striker Luis Suárez to calmly finish and restore Miami’s lead.

But Atlanta refused to surrender, with Swiss striker Breel Embolo converting an 87th-minute penalty to earn the visitors a point.

For Messi, the match represented his first appearance since announcing his international retirement and offered an early glimpse of the next chapter of his career, with his focus now firmly on Inter Miami.

The result came during a busy night of MLS action.

Toronto and Chicago played out a remarkable 4-4 draw, while Philadelphia defeated Montreal 2-0, with 16-year-old Cavan Sullivan scoring his fourth goal of the season.

Sullivan now has 11 goal contributions this season, surpassing Freddy Adu’s previous record of 10 for a 16-year-old.

In Orlando, Antoine Griezmann scored in the 28th minute to give the hosts a 1-0 victory over San Diego, while Austin rescued a 1-1 draw against San Jose through Guilherme Biro’s seventh-minute stoppage-time equaliser.

US and Iran exchange fire on vessels near Strait of Hormuz

US and Iranian forces exchanged attacks involving vessels in waters around Iran on Saturday, in a sharp escalation that threatens to further disrupt energy supplies and deepen the conflict between the two countries.

US Central Command said it struck three Iranian oil carriers, including one near Kharg Island, Iran’s main oil export hub, after Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) fired ballistic missiles at two US Navy ships.

“If you shoot at two of our ships, we will impose an even higher economic cost,” US Central Command chief Admiral Brad Cooper said.

The IRGC warned that it would intensify attacks against US military vessels in the region. It later said it had targeted three tankers travelling on unauthorised routes through the Strait of Hormuz, as well as three US-linked vessels in other areas.

Iran’s Tasnim news agency reported that four US missiles struck a tanker near Kharg Island. It said there were no casualties and that the crew was being evacuated.

US Central Command said no American personnel were injured.

The latest exchange follows an escalation over the past week in a conflict that began after US and Israeli strikes on Iran in February. The fighting has disrupted global energy supplies and increased concerns over a wider regional confrontation.

Trump warns over Kharg Island

US President Donald Trump has continued to threaten military action against Iran, even as his administration expands economic sanctions.

On August 31, Trump posted an AI-generated video depicting Kharg Island being destroyed. Iranian authorities have warned of a strong response if the island is attacked.

Iran, the third-largest producer in OPEC, previously exported about 90% of its crude through Kharg Island. Oil flows have been disrupted since the US began a blockade of Iranian oil exports in mid-April.

Trump had previously threatened action against Kharg Island, saying in June that he wanted to take control of it before ruling out a US military operation there.

The US blockade followed Iran’s effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a key global energy route that previously carried about one-fifth of the world’s oil supply.

Guyana has received six people deported from the United States as the administration of President Donald Trump expands its use of so-called third-country deportations.

Guyana’s Foreign Secretary Robert Persaud said the group of Cuban and Afghan nationals arrived on Saturday after being deported over immigration issues.

“The US has not made any further requests” for non-citizens to be sent to Guyana, Persaud told The Associated Press.

None of the six had criminal backgrounds, he said.

Persaud said Guyana reached an agreement with the US after months of negotiations. The deal will run for one year and does not constitute permanent resettlement.

Third-country deportations involve sending foreign nationals to countries other than their own. Critics say deportees may have no ties to the countries they are sent to and can face unfamiliar languages and difficult conditions.

The Trump administration has expanded the practice, reaching agreements with countries in several regions, some involving multimillion-dollar payments. US officials have defended the policy by arguing that some countries, including Cuba, refuse to accept deportees.

Amnesty International estimates that more than 30 countries have entered such agreements since Trump returned to office, including 15 in the Americas.

Rights groups have condemned third-country deportations as a way of punishing migrants and pressuring them to abandon immigration claims. The practice has also raised concerns over human rights and conditions in countries receiving deportees.

The Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse at Syracuse University estimates that 70.6% of foreign nationals currently held in US immigration detention have no criminal conviction.

The six deportees sent to Guyana will receive assistance through the Assisted Voluntary Return Programme operated by the UN International Organization for Migration. They will remain in Guyana while their immigration cases are resolved and could eventually return to their countries of origin or seek relocation elsewhere.

Restricting immigration and deporting foreign nationals have become central features of Trump’s second-term policies. His administration has also cancelled programmes including Temporary Protected Status and humanitarian parole, leaving tens of thousands at greater risk of deportation.

Reports have also indicated that the administration plans to revoke visas for about 200,000 asylum seekers.