Lionel Messi scores his first goal in five matches as Miami end their three-game losing streak across all competitions.
Lionel Messi scored as Inter Miami ended a three-game losing streak in all competitions, defeating the New York Red Bulls 4-1 at Chase Stadium in Florida.
Miami had lost their previous three matches, including a 5-1 aggregate loss to the Vancouver Whitecaps in the Champions Cup semifinals, but regained their momentum with a comfortable Major League Soccer (MLS) home victory on Saturday.
Fafa Picault opened the scoring for Miami after nine minutes, striking the ball into the back of the net after a flick-on from Luis Suarez, who had received a cross from Marcelo Weigandt.
Weigandt then doubled Miami’s lead in the 30th minute with a diving header that was initially ruled offside, but after a VAR review, it was deemed a valid goal.
Suarez added to the score in the 39th minute, converting his second attempt after his initial effort was blocked, although the Red Bulls managed to pull one back before halftime.
An Omar Valencia corner kick found the back of the net, giving the visitors a glimmer of hope for the second half.
Despite this, Miami continued to dominate and Messi extended their lead in the 67th minute, skillfully beating Carlos Coronel with a left-foot finish after a quick one-two with Telasco Segovia.
Messi’s goal marked the end of a four-match drought without a score, and the win elevated Miami to fourth place in the Eastern Conference.
In other news, Dylan Chambost, a former Saint-Etienne midfielder, made his mark in MLS by scoring the first goal in Columbus Crew’s 4-2 victory over Charlotte.
The Crew leads the East with 24 points, two points ahead of the Philadelphia Union, who secured a 2-1 win against Montreal with Mikael Uhre scoring the decisive goal in the 84th minute.
DC United also claimed a 2-1 win over the Colorado Rapids, with goals from Christian Benteke and Hosei Kijima.
Miami had lost their previous three matches, including a 5-1 aggregate loss to the Vancouver Whitecaps in the Champions Cup semifinals, but regained their momentum with a comfortable Major League Soccer (MLS) home victory on Saturday.
Fafa Picault opened the scoring for Miami after nine minutes, striking the ball into the back of the net after a flick-on from Luis Suarez, who had received a cross from Marcelo Weigandt.
Weigandt then doubled Miami’s lead in the 30th minute with a diving header that was initially ruled offside, but after a VAR review, it was deemed a valid goal.
Suarez added to the score in the 39th minute, converting his second attempt after his initial effort was blocked, although the Red Bulls managed to pull one back before halftime.
An Omar Valencia corner kick found the back of the net, giving the visitors a glimmer of hope for the second half.
Despite this, Miami continued to dominate and Messi extended their lead in the 67th minute, skillfully beating Carlos Coronel with a left-foot finish after a quick one-two with Telasco Segovia.
Messi’s goal marked the end of a four-match drought without a score, and the win elevated Miami to fourth place in the Eastern Conference.
In other news, Dylan Chambost, a former Saint-Etienne midfielder, made his mark in MLS by scoring the first goal in Columbus Crew’s 4-2 victory over Charlotte.
The Crew leads the East with 24 points, two points ahead of the Philadelphia Union, who secured a 2-1 win against Montreal with Mikael Uhre scoring the decisive goal in the 84th minute.
DC United also claimed a 2-1 win over the Colorado Rapids, with goals from Christian Benteke and Hosei Kijima.
