Just four days ago, Lionel Messi’s hat-trick crushed Bolivia in the World Cup qualifiers. On Sunday, October 20, the Argentine superstar took the field for Inter Miami, and despite the change in jersey, Messi’s brilliance remained consistent. He secured another hat-trick, leading his team to a commanding victory.
With Messi’s hat-trick, Inter Miami triumphed 6-2 over New England in Major League Soccer, solidifying their position at the top of the points table. Luis Suárez scored twice, while Benjamin Cremaschi added another. For New England, Luca Langoni and Dylan Borrero each netted a goal. Miami now has 74 points from 34 matches in the Eastern Conference League, while Columbus trails in second place with 66 points.
Despite the convincing win at Chase Stadium, Miami found themselves trailing by two goals without Messi on the field. New England took a 2-0 lead with Luca scoring in the 2nd minute and Dylan adding another in the 34th. However, Miami responded before halftime with two goals from Luis Suárez in the 40th and 43rd minutes.
Coach Tata Martino brought Messi on in the 57th minute, and Benjamin’s goal in the following minute put Miami ahead. New England appeared to equalize in the 72nd minute, but after a VAR review, the goal was disallowed.
Messi scored his first goal in the 78th minute, calmly advancing and unleashing a diagonal shot from outside the box that found the net. Despite the goalkeeper’s leap, Messi’s powerful left-footed strike was unstoppable. Two minutes later, the 37-year-old star scored his second. He completed his hat-trick in the 89th minute with a simple tap-in.
