Inter Miami defeated the Philadelphia Union 4-1 in a Leagues Cup semifinal on Tuesday in Chester, Pennsylvania, as Lionel Messi scored his ninth goal with his new team to help Inter Miami advance to the first major final in the club’s history.
Since being introduced in Miami last month, Messi has scored nine goals, all of which have come in the Leagues Cup, a competition between all 47 teams in Major League Soccer and Liga MX.
Josef Martinez of Inter Miami scored the game’s first goal for his team early on, while Messi’s second goal for Gerardo Martino’s team came barely 20 minutes later.
Before the break, Jori Alba made it 3-0 for Inter Miami.
However, Alejandro Bedoya scored for Philadelphia in the second half before David Ruiz extended Inter Miami’s lead to ensure their place in the League Cup final.
On Sunday, Inter Miami will meet Nashville in the Leagues Cup final.
Reacting, Messi in a post via his Instagram account after the game, said: “We worked our way to the finals and we made it!!!. We’re still on the last step… ”
