Messi scores twice in first game since Argentina retirement as Inter Miami beats DC United 4-0
Messi scored in the 47th and 60th minutes, and Luis Suárez scored twice in the first half, as Inter Miami won 4-0 on Saturday night in Miami. The win snapped a five-match winless run for the home side.
A result that snapped a long winless run
Inter Miami beat D.C. United 4-0 on Saturday night, a result that snapped a five-match winless skid for the home side. Miami had four draws and one loss before the match. It was the team's first win since a 7-1 rout of CF Montreal on Aug. 29, and the first league win for coach Cristian "Kily" González, who took over on Sept. 16. D.C. United is winless in its last five matches. Before the international break, Miami had won only one of its previous ten matches.
How the goals came
Luis Suárez opened the scoring in the third minute, taking a header from Germán Berterame and beating goalkeeper Sean Johnson with a shot inside the left post. Suárez doubled Miami's lead in the 39th minute. Messi's point-blank shot was deflected by Johnson to an open Berterame, whose header found Suárez inside the 6-yard box, and Suárez tapped in his second. Messi made it 3-0 in the 47th minute, retrieving a Suárez cross near the 6-yard box and tapping in a shot inside the right post. In the 60th minute he received a pass from Rodrigo De Paul, dribbled into the large area, eluded two defenders and beat Johnson from 12 yards. Berterame recorded two assists, and Messi played the full 90 minutes.
- Luis Suárez scores, beating Sean Johnson with a shot inside the left post
- Suárez scores his second after a Messi shot is deflected to Germán Berterame
- Messi taps in from close range after a Suárez cross
- Messi dribbles past two defenders and scores from 12 yards
Messi's season and national team exit
The match came four days after Messi's farewell match for Argentina, which ended a 21-year tenure with the national team. Messi scored in his first game since retiring from international football, and he has now scored 23 league goals this season, the most in MLS. BBC reports that he is four goals ahead of FC Dallas striker Petar Musa in the scoring table. According to ESPN, as reported by Mediafax, Messi is the leading favourite to win the MLS MVP award for a third consecutive season. His last goal for Argentina, the 126th of his international career, came in a friendly win over Benin in Buenos Aires on Tuesday.
Standings and what comes next
The win moved Inter Miami into second place in the Eastern Conference, 14 points behind leaders Nashville FC, according to BBC. Nashville won 4-1 at Austin on the same day, with Hany Mukhtar scoring in stoppage time. Had Miami lost, the team could have dropped to fifth, according to dpa. Louis Munteanu was injured and did not play for D.C. United in the match. Inter Miami hosts New York City FC on Wednesday night, while D.C. United faces the New York Red Bulls on the same evening.
