Lionel Messi scored twice on Saturday night as Inter Miami defeated Atlanta United 4–0, moving to the top of Major League Soccer’s goal-scoring chart.
Messi’s brace brought his season total to 26 goals, pushing him past Los Angeles FC’s Denis Bouanga, who has 24 goals, in the race for the Golden Boot. The win helped Miami strengthen their push for a better playoff position, as they are now tied with Cincinnati on 62 points, four behind Eastern Conference leaders Philadelphia Union.
Messi opened the scoring in the 39th minute with a stunning left-footed strike after teammate Baltasar Rodriguez stole the ball from an Atlanta defender. Messi curled his shot past goalkeeper Jayden Hibbert into the top corner.
Hibbert had earlier denied the Argentine star in the 13th minute after several early attempts from Messi.
In the 52nd minute, Messi set up Jordi Alba for Miami’s second goal. The Spanish defender chipped the ball over Hibbert to make it 2–0. It was Alba’s sixth goal of the season and came on the day Inter Miami paid tribute to him following his announcement that he would retire at the end of the MLS season.
Luis Suarez added the third goal in the 61st minute before Messi completed the rout in the 87th, slotting home a left-footed shot after receiving a long pass from Alba.
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Inter Miami coach Javier Mascherano praised Messi’s performance, saying, “He’s a leader both on and off the pitch. Every time he plays, he lifts the team’s confidence.”
Messi’s appearance had been in doubt before kickoff as MLS continued through the FIFA international window. The Argentine had trained with the national team during the week but did not play in Argentina’s 1–0 win over Venezuela on Friday.
Saturday’s game marked Miami’s last regular-season home match at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale before moving to their new Miami Freedom Park next season.
In another MLS match, Thomas Müller scored a last-minute winner to give Vancouver Whitecaps a 2–1 victory over Orlando City, sending the Canadian side to the top of the Western Conference with 63 points. Müller has now scored seven goals in eight appearances since joining MLS.
Nelson Pierre equalized for Vancouver in the 81st minute after Dagur Thorhallsson had put Orlando ahead in the 24th, before Müller sealed the win in stoppage time with a powerful long-range shot.