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Lionel Messi lit up Inter Miami’s return to Major League Soccer with two spectacular goals, helping his side to a commanding 4-1 win over Montreal on Saturday night.
Back in league action for the first time in over a month following their Club World Cup exit, Miami showed no signs of rust as they brushed aside their Canadian opponents. The South Florida outfit had reached the round of 16 at the Club World Cup before being knocked out in a heavy 4-0 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain.
Determined to bounce back, Messi played a central role in rekindling Miami’s MLS campaign, despite a shaky start. A misplaced backpass from the Argentine gifted Montreal’s Prince Owusu the opening goal in just the second minute. The striker pounced on the error and lashed the ball past goalkeeper Oscar Ustari.
But Messi soon made amends. In the 33rd minute, he picked out Tadeo Allende, whose delicate chip levelled the score. Moments later, Messi produced a trademark moment of brilliance, cutting in from the right side of the box, skipping past Fernando Alvarez, and curling a sublime shot into the far corner to give Miami a 2-1 lead at half-time.
Telasco Segovia extended the advantage in the 60th minute with a thunderous strike from distance that cannoned in off the crossbar. Just two minutes later, Messi completed his brace with a sensational solo effort, gliding past four defenders before slotting the ball coolly into the net.
The 36-year-old now has 12 goals in 14 MLS appearances, including seven in his last four games, underlining his importance to Javier Mascherano’s side, who sit sixth in the Eastern Conference with 32 points from 17 matches.
“It is a great night — we got the three points that were very much needed to start thinking about MLS again,” said Mascherano after the match. “It’s never easy to rejoin the league after a big tournament like the Club World Cup, but the players handled it perfectly.”
On Messi’s performance, the Miami manager added: “Leo is happy playing football. Whenever he’s fit, he’ll be on the pitch. We know we’ve got an extra edge when he plays — and we intend to use it as much as possible.”
Inter Miami now brace for a busy schedule with five more MLS fixtures lined up before the end of the month.
