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Lionel Messi scores twice as Inter Miami defeat Revolution
Messi magic was once again on display at Gillette Stadium.
For the second year in a row, Lionel Messi and Inter Miami breezed past the Revolution thanks to a brace of goals from the Argentine superstar.
Messi, 38, scored twice in the first half in front of a crowd of 43,293 that buzzed every time he touched the ball in the 2-1 win. And given his central involvement in the game — he notched 71 touches, darting in and out of midfield as he helped his team create numerous chances — there was plenty to cheer.
After another round of pregame speculation over whether or not the veteran World Cup winner would start (given Miami’s busy post-Club World Cup schedule), the main attraction did not disappoint: Messi played a full 90-minute shift.
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For devoted Revolution supporters simply trying to watch their team play at home, it was also another year of enduring the traveling circus that is the Messi-Miami experience: fans, stretching into the upper decks, adorned in the pink jerseys of the away team, cheered loudest for the away team’s star.
Having opened the game in a relatively composed manner, New England waited until the 27th minute to press the self-destruct button. Revolution center-back Tanner Beason, attempting to play a safe header back to teammate Mamadou Fofana, accidentally nodded the ball right into Messi’s path. In what was probably one of the easier goals in his career tally of more than 870, Messi calmly dispatched the ball into the net from close range to give Miami the lead:
Eleven minutes later, Messi delivered again. This time, it was from a more traditional source: Longtime teammate Sergio Busquets. The former Barcelona holding midfielder played an elegant through-ball that perfectly split New England’s defense.
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Messi, latching onto the pass with perfect skill, cooly fired a shot past Revolution goalkeeper Alijaz Ivacic to make it 2-0:
The Revolution managed to create plenty of chances in response, but lacked a finishing touch on more than one occasion. A Carles Gil goal in the 80th minute restored a measure of hope for the home side, but it was too little, too late for New England.
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