Lionel Messi Scores Four as Inter Miami Thrash Montreal 7-1

Lionel Messi scored four times as Inter Miami ended a five-game winless run with a 7-1 victory over Montreal in Major League Soccer on Saturday. The reigning MLS Cup champions produced a decisive response after a difficult spell following the resumption of play after the World Cup finals, having lost four of their previous five matches.

Miami’s win in Florida was built around Messi’s four-goal display, which included a low curling free-kick before half-time and another trademark set-piece in stoppage time. The result also kept Miami second in the Eastern Conference, seven points behind leaders Nashville, who were playing later on Saturday.

Messi leads Inter Miami’s seven-goal response

Inter Miami made the breakthrough in the 20th minute through Casemiro. The Brazil international, who joined the club after the World Cup, scored his first goal for the champions with a header at the Nu Stadium.

Montreal briefly drew level in the 37th minute. Fabian Herbers found the bottom corner with a low shot from the edge of the area, giving the visitors a route back into the contest at 1-1.

That parity did not last long. Messi restored Miami’s lead three minutes later, sending a low curling free-kick towards goal that deceived Montreal goalkeeper Thomas Gillier. The goal put Miami 2-1 ahead and shifted the momentum back to the home side before the interval.

Messi extended the advantage shortly after half-time. The 39-year-old moved through a cluster of Montreal defenders before drilling his shot into the bottom corner, adding a second individual goal and giving Miami greater control of the match.

He was also central to Miami’s next goal. Messi delivered a flighted pass to send Luis Suarez through on goal, and the former Barcelona teammate finished to further widen the margin. Miami had turned a narrow lead into a comfortable one as Montreal, second from bottom in the Eastern Conference, struggled to contain the hosts.

Hat-trick and late free-kick complete the night

Messi completed his hat-trick in the 83rd minute after collecting a pass from Rodrigo De Paul. With Gillier advancing, Messi delicately lifted the ball over the goalkeeper to make it 5-1.

Teenage substitute Alex Shaw added Miami’s sixth in the 89th minute, rifling a low shot from outside the area. There was still time for Messi to add a fourth goal in stoppage time, curling a free-kick from the edge of the area to complete the 7-1 scoreline.

The four-goal night delivered a timely lift for Inter Miami after their recent winless run. Casemiro’s first goal for the club, Suarez’s finish from Messi’s pass and Shaw’s late strike rounded out a comprehensive attacking performance, while Messi’s two free-kicks and hat-trick moment provided the defining highlights.

For Miami, the result brought an emphatic return to winning form and preserved their position near the top of the Eastern Conference. For Montreal, Herbers’ equaliser was a brief interruption in a match that quickly became dominated by Inter Miami and Messi’s finishing.