Lionel Messi scored his first goal since the death of his father, but Inter Miami were held to a 2-2 draw by the Philadelphia Union in Major League Soccer on Wednesday.

The Argentine superstar put Miami ahead in the 26th minute with a trademark left-footed finish, curling the ball beautifully into the far corner.

Messi kept his celebration subdued, sharing a brief smile with his teammates before turning his attention to the sky. The Miami captain raised both hands as he looked upward, dedicating the goal to his late father.

Messi had already played a key role in Miami’s opening goal just five minutes earlier. The Argentine picked out a run from Uruguayan forward Luis Suarez down the left, with Suarez heading the ball across the box for young American Daniel Pinter to finish from close range.

Philadelphia earned a share of the points through goals from Indiana Vassilev in the 11th minute and Neil Pierre in the 58th.

The goal took 39-year-old Messi to 13 MLS goals for the season, moving him into second place in the league’s scoring standings, just one behind FC Dallas striker Petar Musa.

It was Messi’s first goal since returning from Argentina following the death of his father, Jorge, on August 8. The Miami captain had failed to score in his previous two appearances after returning to club action.

During that spell, Inter Miami suffered a 3-2 defeat to Mexican side Leon that saw them eliminated from the Leagues Cup before being thrashed 4-1 by Nashville in MLS, with Messi also missing a penalty in that match.

The latest draw extended Miami’s winless run to four matches. They now sit seven points behind Eastern Conference leaders Nashville as the race for the top positions continues.