Miami, Oct 12:
Lionel Messi marked his return to club football after retiring from international duty with a brace as Inter Miami defeated DC United 4-0 in Major League Soccer. The Argentine superstar played the full 90 minutes in his first appearance for the club since bidding farewell to the national team after a 21-year international career.
Luis Suarez also scored twice to help Miami end a five-match winless run. Suarez opened the scoring in the third minute and doubled the advantage in the 39th minute, giving the hosts a comfortable 2-0 lead at half-time. Messi extended the lead in the 47th minute, finishing from close range after receiving a pass from Suarez. He struck again in the 60th minute, collecting Rodrigo De Paul’s pass, dribbling past two defenders and beating goalkeeper Sean Johnson with a shot from 12 yards.
The brace took Messi’s league tally to 23 goals this season, keeping him at the top of the MLS scoring charts. The victory was Inter Miami’s first since their 7-1 win over CF Montreal on August 29 and also marked the first league victory for new coach Cristian Gonzalez, who took charge on September 16. DC United, meanwhile, extended its winless run to five matches. Messi had played his farewell international match against Benin earlier in the week, bringing the curtain down on a career in which he scored 126 goals for Argentina and won the 2022 World Cup and two Copa America titles.