Miami: Lionel Messi delivered a masterclass on Saturday night, scoring twice and assisting twice as Inter Miami crushed the Columbus Crew 5-1 in Major League Soccer. The emphatic win was a perfect warm-up for the FIFA Club World Cup, where Miami will debut against African champions Al Ahly on June 14.
After a dip in form, Miami has won back-to-back games, following up their 4-2 midweek win over Montreal with another statement performance. Messi and longtime teammate Luis Suarez have spearheaded the turnaround, with both finding the net consistently again.
Messi orchestrated the opener in the 13th minute, dropping deep and launching a perfect over-the-top pass to Tadeo Allende, who calmly slotted home. Two minutes later, Columbus goalkeeper Nicholas Hagen made a costly error, passing the ball straight to Messi, who chipped him for the 2-0 lead.
Sergio Busquets then picked out Messi with a lofted ball in the 24th minute, which the Argentine maestro converted with a composed lob, making it 3-0 before the half-hour mark.
Columbus briefly responded with a powerful header from Cesar Ruvalcaba in the 58th minute, but Miami restored the three-goal cushion just six minutes later. Messi broke through midfield and set up Telasco Segovia, who teed up Suarez for a clinical finish.
Messi capped his dominant display by assisting substitute Fafa Picault for Miami’s fifth, sealing a comprehensive win and reaffirming Miami’s credentials heading into the Club World Cup.
Messi joins the Argentina squad for World Cup qualifiers against Chile and Colombia with eight Ballon d’Or titles. However, the reigning champions have already secured a spot in the 2026 tournament.
