Lionel Messi Scores a Hat-Trick as Inter Miami Break Points Record in MLS

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20.10.2024 05:10

FORT LAUDERDALE - Lionel Messi entered the game in the second half with the score tied, casting doubt on whether Inter Miami would break the points record in the MLS regular season.

But in that instant, everything changed.

The Argentine superstar achieved his first hat-trick in the league, in addition to providing an assist, all within a span of just 30 minutes. Luis Suárez scored twice as Inter Miami crushed the New England Revolution 6-2 on Saturday, finishing the season with a record 74 points in the MLS.

Miami broke the record set by the Revolution themselves in 2021 by one point.

With a record of 22 wins, eight draws, and four losses, Inter Miami concluded the season with a winning percentage of .765, another MLS record. Four teams -- (24- and LA Galaxy (24- in 1998, as well as LAFC (21-4-9) in 2019 and New England (22-5-7) in 2021 -- ended an MLS season with a .750 record, which was the best until Saturday night.

Inter Miami also became the eighth team in MLS history to finish a regular season with only four losses, tying another record.

The best team in regular season history perhaps has the best footballer of all time in its ranks. It’s a perfect combination.

"Tonight belongs to you," Inter Miami's majority owner, Jorge Mas, told Messi during the post-match celebration. "You are the best fans on Earth."

Messi, who played around 35 minutes and scored three times on Saturday, finished the regular season with 20 goals and 16 assists in 19 matches.

Suárez also reached 20 goals in his first season in the MLS. His two goals, scored within a three-minute span, helped Inter Miami erase an early 2-0 deficit.

Luca Langoni and Dylan Borrero scored for New England.

The rest of the match was dominated by the hosts. After the match, a stage was set up on the pitch to honor the winner of the Supporters Shield, awarded to the team with the most points in the regular season.

The Herons had secured that award earlier this month while playing away, so they wanted to celebrate with their fans. When the final whistle blew, pink confetti began to rain down.

During the ceremony, attended by FIFA President Gianni Infantino, Inter Miami lifted the trophy.

Suárez's double allowed the hosts to go into halftime with the score tied. Argentine Benjamín Cremaschi scored the go-ahead goal in the 58th minute for Inter Miami. Messi assisted on Cremaschi's goal, which came just seconds after the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner entered the match.

There were some doubts about whether Messi would play, especially since Inter Miami had already secured the Supporters Shield and the top seed in the MLS playoffs. The only thing at stake for Inter Miami on Saturday was the record.

In the 74th minute, Messi was fouled, causing a scare on the bench. The star let out a yell of pain and grabbed his right ankle while on the ground.

He has missed 15 of Inter Miami's matches in the MLS in 2024, either due to commitments with the Argentine national team or because of a two-month absence needed to recover from a serious ankle injury suffered during the Copa América final that Argentina won against Colombia in July.

This time, Messi’s knock was not serious.

Messi scored within two minutes of the second half, turning a 3-2 advantage into a 5-2 rout, and it was only a matter of time before the record was secured in Inter Miami's honors. The cherry on top came in the 89th minute when Suárez set Messi up for an easy goal that completed the hat-trick.

Miami will face off in the first game of the best-of-three first-round series on Friday night at home. It will be the club's first-ever home playoff match.

https://www.footboom1.com/en/news/football/1962227-lionel-messi-scores-a-hat-trick-as-inter-miami-break-points-record-in-mls

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