Messi Leads Inter Miami to Regain Balance in MLS
Argentinian star Lionel Messi scored one goal and assisted two others to lead Inter Miami to a 4-2 victory over host Toronto FC on Saturday at BMO Field in an MLS match.
With this win, Inter Miami quickly regained its balance after a 3-4 home loss to Orlando in last week's Florida derby, raising its points to 22 in second place from 12 matches, one point behind Eastern Conference leader Nashville, who has played 10 matches.
On the other hand, Toronto continued its winless streak for the sixth consecutive match (two losses and four draws), leaving its tally frozen at 14 points in ninth place, behind eighth-place Charlotte on goal difference.
The first half ended with Inter Miami leading 1-0, as Argentinian Rodrigo De Paul opened the scoring in the 44th minute with a powerful shot that deflected off the defensive wall and into the net spectacularly.
In the second half, Inter Miami continued its attacking pressure, and Uruguayan Luis Suárez added the second goal in the 56th minute after a quick counter-attack and a decisive pass from Messi.
Despite Toronto's attempts to get back into the game, Inter Miami managed to widen the gap after Spaniard Sergio Reguilón added the third goal in the 73rd minute from a Messi assist, before the Argentinian star made his mark by scoring Miami's fourth goal in the 75th minute.
Messi has become the fastest player to reach 100 goal contributions in MLS history in just 64 matches since joining Inter Miami in the summer of 2023, breaking the previous record held by Italian Sebastian Giovinco, who achieved the same feat in 95 matches.
The final minutes saw a resurgence from the home team as they managed to score two late goals through Etienne Aristizabal in the 82nd and 90th minutes, with the match ending in a 4-2 victory for the visiting team.
المصدر: Agencies
