Lionel Messi struck twice to lead Inter Miami to a dominant 4-0 win over Atlanta United, taking charge of the Major League Soccer (MLS) scoring charts and keeping his team in the hunt for a top playoff position. The Argentine’s brace, which were his 25th and 26th goals of the season, lifted him above Los Angeles FC forward Denis Bouanga in the Golden Boot race after both started the day level on 24 goals.Miami, already through to the MLS Cup playoffs, are now tied with Cincinnati on 62 points in the Eastern Conference, four behind leaders Philadelphia, who have sealed the Supporters’ Shield. Messi opened the scoring in the 39th minute with a curling left-footed strike that sailed past Atlanta goalkeeper Jayden Hibbert into the top corner. The move began when Baltasar Rodriguez dispossessed an Atlanta defender before setting up Messi just outside the box. Watch Messi’s first goal of the match hereEarlier, Hibbert had denied the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner in the 13th minute after a series of early attempts. The Miami captain played a key role again in the second half, setting up Jordi Alba’s goal in the 52nd minute with a precise lofted pass. Alba chipped the ball past Hibbert for his sixth goal of the season, a fitting moment on the day Inter Miami paid tribute to the Spaniard, who announced his retirement at the end of the MLS campaign. Luis Suarez added a third for Miami in the 61st minute, before Messi completed his double in the 87th, converting from the centre of the box after another fine assist from Alba. With MLS continuing through the international window, Messi’s participation remained uncertain until just before kickoff. Both he and Rodrigo De Paul had trained with Argentina earlier in the week, though Messi sat out the national team’s 1-0 win over Venezuela in Miami.
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Will Messi play in the upcoming international fixtures for Argentina?
Saturday’s fixture marked Inter Miami’s final home game of the regular season at Chase Stadium, as the club prepares to shift to its new Miami Freedom Park next year.
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