Lionel Messi became the first player in MLS history with five straight matches with multiple goal contributions (goals or assists) on Saturday as Inter Miami beat the New England Revolution 2-1.
Messi scored in both halves to lead the Herons to another win as Tata Martino’s men continue to lead the way in the Eastern Conference with a 6-3-2 record.
Messi got his eighth and ninth goals of the young season as he continues to climb his way up the club’s all-time scoring ranks with Gonzalo Higuan’s 29 goals in sight this season. But while the end result was solid for the visitors, the game couldn’t have started off worse.
It was the defensive woes from a team that has invested mostly in an attack that appeared early. It took less than a minute for the Revolution to find the back of the net via a Thomas Chancalay goal at a narrow angle giving the hosts not just the lead but all of the momentum.
It would last just over half an hour before Messi did what he does — score goals. His eighth goal of the season came in the 32nd minute when he was played into the box and finished easily at the near post in front of 65,000 fans.
In the second half, it was more of the same as Sergio Busquets managed to thread the needle with a stellar through ball, feeding Messi in the box for a nifty finish to the other post.
Benjamin Cremaschi added Inter Miami’s third with seven minutes to go to cement the win before Luis Suarez scored in the 88th. Next up for the Herons, they return to action on Saturday against the New York Red Bulls.
KVSP