Lionel Messi recorded his sixth brace in his past seven matches as Inter Miami defeated the New York Red Bulls 5-1 at Sports Illustrated Stadium in Harrison, N.J.
The Argentine had one of his best performances of the season Saturday night as he bagged two goals and two assists to secure goal contributions on four out of their five goals as the South Beach franchise absolutely dismantled the 2024 MLS Cup finalists on their home ground.
Ironically, it was the hosts who started the match on top, opening the scoring just 15 minutes in from an Emil Forsberg corner kick, with defender Alexander Hack scoring his first MLS goal. However, nine minutes later, the Herons responded with an equalizer, and from there, didn't slow down.
Messi delivered an outrageous assist to Jordi Alba for their first goal of the game, as the Spanish defender smashed home to draw level in the 24th minute. Less than two minutes later, they'd doubled their lead, with Messi again factoring into the goal. He delivered the secondary assist as Alba found Telasco Segovia, who pushed the ball into the back of the net for their second.
On the verge of halftime, Segovia scored his second of the day, capping off a bit of pinball in the box that saw a loose ball end up at his feet. The Herons' three strikes came off an xG of just .67, showing just how clinical they were across the opening 45 minutes.
Out of the break, RBNY looked more composed, but Miami eventually broke them down, and it came via Messi. He scored his first goal of the match in the 60th minute, making it 4-1 off a delightful through ball from Sergio Busquets.
Fifteen minutes later, after Benjamin Cremaschi was introduced off the bench, the U.S. international found Luis Suarez, who then sent a world-class cross into the box, and Messi scored again. The 38-year-old put the ball past RBNY goalkeeper Carlos Coronel to make it 5-1, and with that, the game was put to bed.
It was the perfect response from both Inter Miami and their Argentine star after a midweek loss to FC Cincinnati on the road. Now, Messi and Alba will head to the 2025 MLS All-Star Game, before Miami return to the pitch at Chase Stadium next weekend against Cincinnati.
GOAL rates Inter Miami's players from Sports Illustrated Stadium.
