Messi made history with the first goal at Inter Miami's new stadium.

David Beckham, Inter Miami's co-owner, was among the famous faces at the opening ceremony of the club's new 26,000-seat stadium, marking the end of more than a decade of searching for a permanent home.

"Seeing this stadium come to life, after many years of effort to build it in Miami, is incredibly special," Beckham said just before kick-off.

"I came to the US to play in the MLS 20 years ago and made a lot of promises. And 13 years ago, I made more promises when I announced that I would come to Miami."

'Today is a dream come true for us.'

But while the match began in a festive atmosphere, with Beckham and Jorge Mas, the billionaire owner and CEO of Inter Miami, participating in the ribbon-cutting ceremony before the match, Austin did not follow the script.

The Texas club, who had won only one of their previous five matches, stunned the home crowd after just six minutes when Guilherme Biro headed in from a Facundo Torres corner, putting the visitors 1-0 ahead.

However, Messi did not take long to score his first goal in his new environment.

Right-back Ian Fray broke forward and crossed for Messi, who scored the equaliser with a rare header, making it 1-1.

Inter Miami then dominated possession and created a series of chances, with Mateo Silvetti coming close to scoring twice, first with a shot in the 34th minute and then with a header four minutes later.

But Austin's strong defence and fast counterattacks continued to cause problems for the home team, and they took the lead again in the 53rd minute.

Messi was robbed of the ball deep in Austin's half by Joseph Rosales, who then passed to Myrto Uzuni, who subsequently set up substitute Jayden Nelson to score.

In an increasingly desperate situation, coach Javier Mascherano brought on veteran forward Luis Suárez in the 73rd minute.

Eight minutes later, the Uruguayan did not disappoint, volleying home after Messi's corner was headed on by German Berterame in Austin's defence.

Suárez thought he had scored the dramatic winning goal when he scored from close range after Messi's free kick hit the post, but the referee disallowed the goal for offside.