Lionel Messi delivered another sparkling performance, scoring twice to inspire Inter Miami to a commanding 4-1 victory over CF Montréal on Saturday night, as the Florida side resumed their Major League Soccer campaign following their Club World Cup exit.
It was Miami’s first league fixture in over a month, having recently returned from their international adventure. After progressing through the initial round of the Club World Cup, they suffered a humbling 4-0 defeat at the hands of Paris Saint-Germain in the round of 16 last week.
There were early signs of rust when a rare Messi error gifted Montréal the opening goal just two minutes in. The Argentine’s misplaced backpass landed directly at the feet of Prince Owusu, who made no mistake, rifling a left-footed effort past Oscar Ustari to stun the home crowd.
The greatest of all time 🐐 pic.twitter.com/gr4vRt7QHX
— Inter Miami CF (@InterMiamiCF) July 6, 2025
But Messi swiftly made amends. In the 33rd minute, he set up Tadeo Allende, who showed superb vision to chip the onrushing Jonathan Sirios and level the scores. Seven minutes later, the Argentine maestro struck himself—cutting in from the right, he drifted past Fernando Álvarez and curled a trademark finish into the far corner to send Miami into the break with a 2-1 lead.
The second half belonged firmly to the hosts. Telasco Segovia made it 3-1 in the 60th minute, thundering a shot from distance that cannoned off the crossbar and bounced in. Two minutes later, Messi delivered the moment of the night—gliding past four defenders on a mesmerising solo run before burying his second goal of the evening with calm precision.
The brace took Messi’s tally to 12 goals in just 14 MLS appearances this season. Remarkably, he has now scored seven in his last four league matches.
Don Leo Messi dice presente 🐐🎯✨ pic.twitter.com/g1xnGlEWjt
— Inter Miami CF (@InterMiamiCF) July 6, 2025
“It’s a great night. We took three points that were very necessary to start thinking about the MLS again,” said Miami manager Javier Mascherano. “It is never easy to reintegrate into the competition after the Club World Cup, and the players have done it perfectly.”
On Messi’s brilliance, Mascherano added: “Leo is happy playing football. Every time he is fit, he is going to play. Clearly, we have an extra advantage when he plays, and we want to use that advantage as much as possible.”
Saturday’s win lifts Inter Miami to sixth place in the Eastern Conference, with 32 points from 17 matches. They now face a gruelling schedule, with five league fixtures to come before the end of July. But with Messi in this kind of form, few would bet against them climbing even higher.