Lionel Messi showcased his scoring prowess in MLS, netting twice as league leaders Inter Miami staged a remarkable comeback to secure a 4-1 victory against the New England Revolution on Saturday.
With his two goals, Messi, the current top scorer in MLS, increased his season’s tally to nine goals from just seven appearances.
A crowd exceeding 65,612 gathered at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, which the Revolution share with the NFL’s New England Patriots, to witness the magic of the Argentine World Cup winner.
Despite New England’s bottom position in the Eastern Conference and having been affected by a virus before the game, they thrilled the home crowd by taking the lead after only 40 seconds through another Argentine, Tomas Chancalay.
Miami’s defender Nicolas Freire’s mistake led to Spanish midfielder Carles Gil chipping a ball over the top to Chancalay, who cleverly chipped it over the advancing Miami goalkeeper Drake Callender for the opening goal.
Messi equalized for Miami in the 32nd minute when he was played through by Robert Taylor’s pass, calmly slotting the ball into the net.
The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner then put Miami ahead in the 68th minute, finishing expertly after receiving a brilliant defense-splitting pass from his former Barcelona teammate Sergio Busquets.
Messi was instrumental in Miami’s two additional goals in the final stages. Substitute Benjamin Cremaschi capitalized on a parried Messi shot to make it 3-1 in the 83rd minute, before Luis Suarez completed the scoring by finding the top corner after a pass from Messi.
Miami has now won three consecutive games since their exit from the CONCACAF Champions Cup at the hands of Mexican club Monterrey, with Messi scoring five times during this run, which includes victories against Kansas City and Nashville.
Coach Gerardo Martino expressed satisfaction with the team’s progress, stating, “The team showed their character, and now we have three wins in a row, and it is getting more solid every time.”
Martino also noted the team’s adaptation to playing in front of large crowds drawn by Messi, saying, “That was a learning curve last season, and now we are dealing with it well.”
New England coach Caleb Porter rued his team’s defensive lapses against Messi, acknowledging Messi’s class in capitalizing on those opportunities. He commented, “That’s Messi…you know, that’s him — he lulls you…we can’t allow a ball to be popped through the back four and find him twice.”
In other MLS matches, D.C. United secured a 2-1 win at home against the Seattle Sounders, with Christian Benteke scoring both goals for D.C. United. Real Salt Lake claimed the top spot in the Western Conference after defeating the Philadelphia Union 2-1, while the Los Angeles Galaxy suffered a 2-0 defeat at Austin, and defending MLS champions Columbus Crew were held to a goalless draw at home to Montreal.
