Lionel Messi scored a brace in Inter Miami’s 4-1 thrashing of Montreal on his return to MLS action following his participation in the Club World Cup.
The match could not have started worse for Messi, who made a serious mistake in the second minute. It was a perfect assist from Leo, but for the opponent. A back pass was short and turned into a through ball that enabled Prince to beat Ustari in a one-on-one and make it 1-0.
Messi scores twice in away win | Montreal 1-4 Inter Miami | Highlights and goals | MLSmlsappletv
And after Messi’s mistake came Leo’s magic
Messi made amends for his serious error with two goals and an assist, becoming the third player in MLS history to score at least two goals and an assist in three consecutive league games, and the first since Thierry Henry in 2012.
Tadeo Allende equalized in the 33rd minute when he smashed the ball into the near post with a left-footed shot from outside the area to take advantage of a Messi assist, his seventh of the season.
Leo turned the game around for Inter Miami in the 40th minute when he finished off a quick transition play after a pass from Luis Suarez, the team’s top assist provider this season, and placed the ball at the far post.
Messi’s masterpiece
Inter Miami extended their lead in the second half with a great goal from Telasco Segovia from the front to make it 1-3, but the best was yet to come.Inter Miami’s fourth goal, Messi’s second of the night, was a real spectacle.
In the 62nd minute, Messi received the ball practically in the center circle and, between dribbles and changes of pace, he got rid of the entire Montreal defense without letting go of the ball at any time. Leo managed to hide the ball so much that two Montreal defenders collided with each other before the Argentine’s shot inside the area. A goal that was reminiscent of Messi’s best days at Barcelona. A very Maradona-like goal.
Mascherano’s words
“It wasn’t easy to come back to competition after spending a month playing in the Club World Cup, and I think the players handled it perfectly. The team had to work hard to turn the situation around, and they did an excellent job, in line with the level we showed throughout the Club World Cup. So honestly, it was a great night. We took three much-needed points back to Miami to refocus on MLS,” said coach Javier Mascherano after the game.
