There is no stopping Lionel Messi. The Argentine superstar continued his red-hot form for Inter Miami and scored a brace against Orlando City on Wednesday night to guide his side to the round of 16 of the Leagues Cup. Inter Miami clinched a convincing 3-1 win to qualify for the next stage of the knockout competition. Following a rain-enforced 95-minute delay, Messi needed just seven minutes to score the opening goal of the night at the DRV PNK Stadium in Miami.
Inter Miami’s Rob Taylor came up with a through ball which found Messi in the penalty box. The seven-time Ballon d’Or winner made no mistake in finding the back of the net with a left-footed shot. The official Twitter handle of the Major League Soccer (MLS) shared a clip of Messi’s first goal of the fixture. “That man Messi. Robert Taylor drops a dime to Messi for the Inter Miami CF goal,” the tweet read.
Watch Video: Messi gives Inter Miami the lead
The slender lead, however, did not last long as Orlando City scored an equaliser through Uruguayan midfielder Cesar Araujo 10 minutes later. Inter Miami regained their lead six minutes into the second half after their Venezuelan striker Josef Martinez converted from the spot. Messi had the chance to take the penalty but he, instead, decided to hand it over to his teammate. Martinez embraced the opportunity to score his first goal for Inter Miami, since Messi’s arrival to the American outfit this summer.
The hosts put the final nail in the coffin in the 72nd minute as Lionel Messi bagged the second goal of the game in sublime fashion. The World Cup winner pulled off a right-footed shot from the centre of the box to seal the win for Inter Miami.
Lionel Messi’s former Barcelona teammate Jordi Alba made his Inter Miami debut in the game after he was subbed on in the second half. The Spaniard remained on the pitch for 26 minutes and registered 24 touches on his Inter Miami debut. Paraguayan midfielder Diego Gomez also made his Inter Miami debut today against Orlando City. Incidentally, Messi received his first yellow card in MLS today in the knockout game.
With 64 per cent ball possession to their name, Inter Miami dominated the match thoroughly to qualify for the next round quite convincingly. Overall, they registered 12 shots, one more than their opponents Orlando City.
Lionel Messi has so far netted five goals making three appearances for Inter Miami. The game against Orlando City marked Messi’s first full 90 minutes on the pitch in Inter Miami jersey. Today’s victory means he will play his first away game as an Inter Miami player on Sunday against FC Dallas.