"He finds two goals out of nowhere" - New England Revolution head coach lavishes praise on Lionel Messi 

New England Revolution boss Caleb Porter has hailed Lionel Messi after the Argentine ace scored a brilliant brace, guiding Inter Miami to a 4-1 win in their MLS fixture on Saturday (April 27).

Tomas Chancalay gave the New England Revolution a shock lead in the first minute with a clever finish. However, Messi leveled the scores in the 32nd minute with a well-taken strike.

The eight-time Ballon d'Or winner completed his brace in the 68th minute. The Herons ended the game dominantly, with Benjamin Cremaschi getting on the scoresheet (83') before Messi assisted Luis Suarez six minutes later to seal all three points.

Lionel Messi was the chief architect of the Herons' dominance, netting two goals and providing an assist as his side ran riot at the Gillette Stadium. The 36-year-old received a rating of 9.4 from FotMob, as he created two big chances, landed all four of his shots on target, and won four duels.

Porter said (via MLS Soccer):

“I thought in the first half, after the goal, we had them locked up pretty good, where they weren't getting many chances, they weren't finding a lot of time and space to operate. Then Messi did what he does, and he found a crack."

He added:

“I still thought at 1-1 we had a great chance in the game. We started the second half pretty well. We started keeping the ball and then he found another crack. Almost the exact same play, different side. First one was our left side, second was our right side in that seam in between our center back and our outside back."

“They were able to find two goals when we felt pretty good about the defending, and that we were limiting their effectiveness, creating clear chances. But, you know, that's Messi. He finds two goals out of nowhere and it exposes the detail in those moments from us.”

Lionel Messi also made history as he became the first player in the MLS to record 16 goal contributions in his first seven games. He has now registered 11 goals and six assists in 10 appearances across all competitions this season.

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How did Lionel Messi's Inter Miami fare in their 4-1 win against New England Revolution?

Lionel Messi's Inter Miami extended their lead at the summit of the MLS Eastern Conference standings after their emphatic 4-1 win against the New England Revolution. They have 21 points from 11 games, three points more than second-placed Cincinnati.

The Herons dominated possession with 55 percent of the ball. They also attempted 625 passes with an accuracy of 87 percent. In contrast, the home side had 45 percent possession, attempting 503 passes with an accuracy of 83 percent.

However, it wasn't much of a contest in attack as Inter Miami conveyed their strength up front, landing 12 shots with six being on target. New England Revolution were only able to muster seven shots, with just one being on target.