Lionel Messi scored twice in four minutes as Inter Miami defeated Atlanta United 3-1 on Saturday, extending their winning streak to three games ahead of the Major League Soccer (MLS) playoffs.
The 39-year-old Argentine took his league-leading tally to 25 goals, six ahead of FC Dallas striker Petar Musa and Philadelphia Union’s Milan Iloski.
Miami opened the scoring shortly before half-time when German Berterame headed home a Luis Suarez pass, following Messi’s involvement in the build-up.
Berterame then set up Messi in the 56th minute, with the forward weaving through Atlanta’s defence before firing a left-footed shot into the net.
Four minutes later, Messi struck again, racing onto a pass from Suarez, beating defender Junior Alonso and slotting past goalkeeper Lucas Hoyos to make it 3-0.
Fafa Picault converted a late penalty for Atlanta in the 89th minute, but Miami held on for their third consecutive victory under coach Cristian “Kily” Gonzalez.
Messi also recorded an assist on Berterame’s opener, drawing level with LAFC’s Son Heung-min at the top of the MLS assists chart. He became the first player in league history to record at least 15 assists in three consecutive seasons.
Miami, who secured a playoff berth on Wednesday, continued to build momentum, while Atlanta remain second from bottom in the Eastern Conference with their playoff hopes fading.
St. Louis’ Unbeaten Run Ends
St. Louis City’s 19-match MLS unbeaten run ended with a 3-2 defeat to Minnesota United.
St. Louis took an early lead through Rafael Navarro and Jeong Sang-bin, but Minnesota responded through Aziel Jackson and Kelvin Yeboah before Canadian Marcus Caldeira scored the winner in the 86th minute.
The defeat denied St. Louis the chance to break the league’s unbeaten-run record, which they share with Columbus, FC Dallas and Inter Miami. It also ended their 21-match unbeaten streak across all competitions.
Meanwhile, Philadelphia Union’s unbeaten run reached 15 matches after a 2-2 draw with Charlotte, ending their eight-game winning streak.
Since Ryan Richter took over as interim head coach during the league’s World Cup break, Philadelphia have recorded 12 wins and three draws, earning 39 points from a possible 45.