Argentine maestro Lionel Messi made history by scoring a brace in Inter Miami’s 2-1 victory over Nashville SC in the Major League Soccer (MLS) – becoming the first player to score two goals in five straight matches in the league’s history.
Four days after he became the first player ever to score multiple goals in four straight MLS matches, Messi delivered his fifth brace in five MLS games.
The 38-year-old Argentine star has scored two goals in each of his last four MLS games to become the first MLS player to score multiple goals in four straight games.
Miami were playing their first MLS game in more than a month. They had advanced past the first phase of the Club World Cup but fell 4-0 to Paris Saint-Germain in the round of 16 last week.
The scoreline told one story. The atmosphere told another.
Joao Neves scored twice as Paris St Germain swept aside Lionel Messi's Inter Miami 4-0 at Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Sunday to secure their place in the Club World Cup quarter-finals with ruthless efficiency.
The Club World Cup's various problems have been well documented, from empty seats to storm delays, extreme heat to complaints about FIFA's expanded competition being a cash grab at the expense of the players' long-term health.
Inter Miami will face European champions Paris Saint-Germain in the last 16 while Palmeiras will have an all-Brazilian encounter with Botofogo.
Miami's shock win over Porto, secured via a brilliant free-kick from Lionel Messi, has left them with a chance of making it to the last 16 of the tournament.
Inter Miami's five-match winning run came to an end on Wednesday as, without the injured Lionel Messi, they were held to a 0-0 draw at Orlando City.
Messi briefly left the field for attention after a heavy challenge and while the Argentine was on the sidelines, his team won a free-kick in the area -- where the World Cup winner can be so deadly.
Messi's five assists, which all came in the second half, are a new record for an MLS game and he now has 10 goals and 12 assists in eight league appearances so far this season.
Without Messi, Miami had fallen to a 4-0 defeat to the Red Bulls in New York in March, but they more than avenged that loss with their merciless second half demolition job.
A crowd over 65,612 turned up at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, the stadium the Revolution share with the NFL's New England Patriots, to see the Argentine World Cup winner.
Everything Miami was creating was coming through Messi, who flashed a snapshot wide before moments later whipping in a cross for a Gomez header which was saved by Panicco's feet.
The crowd was more than 20,000 larger than the 52,424 that saw the then-Kansas City Wizards defeat Manchester United 2-1 at Arrowhead in an exhibition match in July 2010.
“To me, Leo is the greatest player of all time, I did not mean to offend anyone, I just gave an honest opinion,” Ortiz said
Mexican side Monterrey sent Lionel Messi and Inter Miami crashing out of the CONCACAF Champions Cup on Wednesday after completing a 5-2 aggregate victory in their quarter-final clash.
“The dwarf was possessed, he had the face of the devil,” Sánchez said referring to Messi.
