Lionel Messi was at his sensational best once again, scoring a hat-trick in Inter miami's 6-2 win vs New England Revolution. The win also saw Miami break the MLS regular season points record, taking them to 74 points after their final game of the regular campaign, which is one more than the previous record. The previous record was set by New England in 2021.
The Argentine international came off the bench in the 58th-minute, and took his tally to 20 goals in 19 MLS appearances. Meanwhile, Luis Suarez also reached 20 from 27 fixtures.
Also Read | Lionel Messi drops a retirement bombshell after hat-trick against Bolivia: ‘…these can be my last games’
Super-sub Lionel Messi
Miami were trailing 0-2, before Suarez scored twice before half-time to make it 2-2. After coming off the bench, Messi had an instant impact, finding Jordi Alba, who set up Benjamin Cremaschi for a tap-in goal. Then New England thought they equalised but Bobby Wood's effort was disallowed for handball after a VAR review.
Messi made it 4-2, receiving a back-heel pass from Suarez, and then firing it into the far bottom corner. He scored once again when Alba sent him a brilliant pass, and then he completed his hat-trick, converting Suarez's cross with a first-time finish.
{{/usCountry}}Messi made it 4-2, receiving a back-heel pass from Suarez, and then firing it into the far bottom corner. He scored once again when Alba sent him a brilliant pass, and then he completed his hat-trick, converting Suarez's cross with a first-time finish.
{{/usCountry}}The former Barcelona star's three goals came within an 11-minute spell.
Inter Miami will also participate in the Club World Cup next year, and it was announced by FIFA president Gianni Infantino, who said, "I am proud to announce that as one of the best clubs in the world, you are deserved participants in the new FIFA Club World Cup 2025 as the host club representing the United States.
Twelve teams from Europe will also be included in the tournament. They are Atletico Madrid, Bayern Munich, Benfica, Borussia Dortmund, Chelsea, Inter Milan, Juventus, Manchester City, Paris Saint-Germain, Porto, Real Madrid and Salzburg.
Other teams that have qualified include Boca Juniors, Flamengo, Fluminense, Palmeiras and River Plate from South America; Leon, Monterrey, Pachuca and the Seattle Sounders from North America; Al Ahly, Esperance, Mamelodi Sundowns and Wydad from Africa; Al-Hilal, Al Ain, Ulsan and Urawa from Asia; and Auckland City from Oceania.