Lionel Messi delivered a masterclass on Saturday, scoring twice and assisting two more as Inter Miami cruised to a dominant 5-1 victory over Columbus Crew in Major League Soccer.
The emphatic win serves as a perfect warm-up for Miami ahead of their Club World Cup opener against Al Ahly on June 14. After a shaky run of form, Miami have bounced back impressively with back-to-back league wins, including a 4-2 midweek triumph over Montreal.
Messi set the tone early, providing a sublime assist for Tadeo Allende’s opener in the 13th minute with a pinpoint long ball. Just two minutes later, he capitalised on a costly mistake by Columbus goalkeeper Nicholas Hagen, who gifted the Argentine a chance he didn’t waste—chipping the ball into the net despite a desperate save attempt.
In the 24th minute, Messi struck again, latching onto a clever lofted pass from Sergio Busquets before calmly lobbing Hagen to make it 3-0.
Columbus briefly threatened a comeback when Cesar Ruvalcaba powered home a header in the 58th minute, but Miami responded swiftly. Messi broke through midfield and fed Telasco Segovia, who teed up Luis Suarez for the fourth goal.
Messi rounded off his sensational night with another assist, setting up Fafa Picault for a breakaway goal to seal the 5-1 rout.
As Messi heads off to join Argentina for World Cup qualifiers against Chile and Colombia, Inter Miami look reinvigorated—just in time for their Club World Cup debut.
