Argentine Lionel Messi scored two goals in the first half and set up a goal in the second half, to lead Inter Miami to a landslide 4-0 victory over Atlanta United, to advance to the knockout stage in the MLS Cup last night.
And after coming on as a substitute and scoring the winning goal in his debut with Inter Miami, on Friday, the new captain of the team wasted no time in his first major participation with the competing club in the American League.
The Argentine star, who won the 2022 World Cup, received a long pass from his former colleague in Barcelona, Sergio Busquets, and after his shot hit the post at the start, Messi continued the ball into the net, to put Inter Miami ahead in the eighth minute, amid shouts of joy from the fans of the host team.
Messi added the second goal in the 22nd minute, after a pass from his colleague Robert Taylor, who scored a brace himself, according to Reuters.
With this victory, Inter Miami clinched the top of its group in the championship. After scoring, Messi paused and gestured from the pitch to the team's owner, David Beckham, who was watching the match.
The gesture was met with a wide smile from the former Manchester United star, who helped lure Messi to play in the MLS. Atlanta's best chance to find the net came from a late penalty kick, which was taken by Thiago Almada, but Inter Miami goalkeeper Drake Callender kept a clean sheet.
Messi and his Argentine compatriot Almada embraced when Messi came off in the 78th minute, and exchanged shirts after the match. Messi, who won the Golden Ball 7 times, had scored a free kick goal in stoppage time, during his first match with Inter Miami, to lead him to a 2-1 victory over Cruz Azul, last Friday.
0 Comments