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Argentine superstar Lionel Messi scored twice and steered Inter Miami towards a 5-1 victory over Columbus Crew on Saturday, May 31, at the Chase Stadium.
Tadeo Allende gave the Herons an early breakthrough by scoring in the 13th minute by converting a well-timed half-volley, courtesy of Lionel Messi's assist. After only two minutes, Messi doubled Miami's lead by chipping the ball over Nicholas Hagen's head.
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In the 24th minute, Sergio Busquets gave a lobbed pass to Messi, who again chipped the Columbus Crew custodian to make the score 3-0.
Cesar Ruvalcaba scored the Columbus Crew's only goal in the 58th minute, with the help of an assist from Dylan Chambost. Nevertheless, Luis Suarez restored Inter Miami's three-goal advantage minutes later (64'), while the assist was awarded to Telasco Segovia.
Fabrice Picault sealed the victory for the Herons with a late strike in the 89th minute, courtesy of Messi's second assist of the night. The Argentine superstar was awarded the "Icon of the Match" award. While scoring two and assisting two goals, Messi created four chances and maintained a passing accuracy of 88%.
The Herons are currently third in the Eastern Conference of MLS with a game in hand, behind FC Cincinnati and Philadelphia Union.
Lionel Messi becomes Inter Miami's regular-season highest goalscorer with a brace against the Columbus Crew
Former Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi has become Inter Miami's highest goalscorer in the Major League Soccer (MLS) regular season. The Argentine attacker scored his 30th and 31st goals against the Columbus Crew on Saturday.
The record was previously held by Messi's former Argentina teammate Gonzalo Higuain with 29 goals. Higuain played 67 regular-season games for the Herons. However, the eight-time Ballon d'Or champion broke the record only in his 38th appearance.
In his total 58 appearances for Inter Miami, the former Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) attacker has scored 47 goals and provided 22 assists across all competitions. He was also named MLS MVP for the 2023/24 season, where he scored 20 goals. Messi has also guided the Herons to the Leagues Cup in 2023 and the Supporters' Shield in 2024.
