Lionel Messi shone bright yet again as Inter Miami raced to the finish line in the 2024-25 MLS League phase with a thumping victory over New England at the Chase Stadium.
The Argentine and his South American compatriot Luis Suarez continued their heroics for Inter Miami in the game.
The duo’s stormy raid of the US elite division reached new levels with a scintillating performance against New England. They scored five goals as Inter Miami roared to a thumping victory.
Inter Miami vs New England match recap
New England poked the beehive when Angoni scored just two minutes into the game to give the away side the lead against the run of play.
Four minutes after the half-hour, Borrero doubled the lead for the team and etched them close to what would have been a shock victory before the hosts roared back into the game.
Six minutes after Borrero netted New England’s second goal, Luis Suarez scored Inter Miami’s first goal to halve the deficit.
Three minutes later the former Uruguay international chalked off the visitors’ narrow lead, scoring Inter Miami’s second to peg them to a 2-2 draw and pave the way to a comeback.
The game ended 2-2 at the break with Inter Miami looking set to complete the comeback in the last 45.
Thirteen minutes into the second half, Cremaschi completed the fairy tale comeback for the hosts, scoring to make it 3-2 but that was not all.
Eight-time Ballon d’Or winner Lionel Messi rounded up the game with a dramatic late hat-trick to seal the victory.
The iconic footballer scored in the 78th minute to make it 4-2, scored again three minutes later to further extend the lead, and netted again a minute before regulation time to make it 6-2.
The quickfire hat-trick saw Messi score two consecutive hat-tricks in five days. He has now scored 20 goals with 10 assists in 19 MLS matches for Inter Miami this season.
Lionel Messi Becomes Inter Miami’s All-Time Highest Goalscorer Within Two Seasons In Major League Soccer
Messi not only stole the spotlights in the eight-goal thriller with his instant impact after coming off the bench but also reached a career milestone with the Herons.
He became the club’s all-time top scorer within two seasons with the MLS outfit. Before the brilliant showing against New England, Messi trailed his teammate Leonardo Campana by two goals on Inter Miami’s all-time top scorers chart. The quickfire hat-trick saw him overtake the Ecuadorian to become the club’s all-time top scorer with 33 goals.
A breakdown of his stats shows he has tallied 21 goals in 25 MLS matches, three in CONCACAF Champions Cup, and 10 in seven Leagues Cup matches.
Messi’s heroics saw Inter Miami wrap up the league phase of the MLS campaign with the most number of points ever in the division.
Inter Miami ran out with a staggering 74 points after recording 22 wins, 8 draws, and 4 defeats. They were eight points better than Columbus Crew, who managed 66 points from 19 wins, 9 draws, and 6 defeats.
Lionel Messi to lead Inter Miami’s charge for 2024-25 MLS playoff challenge
Following a rollercoaster campaign in the League phase, Inter Miami are leading the list of clubs that are expected to stage a challenge for the 2024-25 MLS title.
Lionel Messi, who led the charge as the club won the 2023 Leagues Cup, will be expected to play a crucial role as the team sets out to challenge for the coveted club trophy in the United States.
With veterans such as Luis Suarez, Jordi Alba, and Sergio Busquets, the team is expected to ace through to the final and possibly clinch the trophy.
Notably, Luis Suarez has also been phenomenal for the Herons. The former Liverpool forward has been a perfect attacking partner for Lionel Messi, assisting the Argentine and also scoring from the latter’s assists.
He has finished the league phase of the 2024-25 MLS campaign with the same number of goals as Lionel Messi (20) and just one assist shy of Messi’s 10.
The attacking duo, who have contributed 59 goals plus assists this season for Inter Miami, are expected to lead the Herons’ charge for the MLS playoff triumph.
