&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "Lionel Messi hits four in Miami’s 7-1 mauling of struggling Montreal in MLS")
At 39, Lionel Messi produced perhaps his greatest MLS performance yet after scoring four goals and assisting one in Inter Miami’s 7-1 mauling of struggling Montreal on Sunday. Down on confidence after losing four of their previous five MLS matches heading into the weekend clash in Florida, Messi’s magic powered Miami to their biggest win this season so far. The reigning MLS Cup champions bounced back in style and netted seven times against Montreal, who are languishing second from bottom in the Eastern Conference.
Alongside Messi, Brazil international Casemiro, who joined Miami after the 2026 World Cup, scored his first goal for the champions with a 20th-minute header at the Nu Stadium.
Also read| 'It’s a special feeling': Harry Kane reflects on being named Germany’s Footballer of the Year
Montreal, though, hit back with a 37th-minute goal from Fabian Herbers, with the German midfielder's low shot from the edge of the area squeezing into the bottom corner. However, Messi’s low-curling free-kick stunned Montreal goalkeeper Thomas Gillier in the 40th minute as Miami regained the lead.
The Argentine superstar then extended Miami's lead shortly after half-time. Messi's momentum helped him weave through a bunch of Montreal defenders before drilling a shot into the bottom corner to make it 3-1 in favour of the hosts. Having already scored a brace, Messi played a key role in Miami's fourth, laying on a superbly flighted pass to help former Barcelona team-mate Luis Suarez smash one into the back of the net. Suarez made no mistake with the finish to seal his first of the match.
Soon after, Messi secured his hat-trick in the 83rd minute, when he latched on to a Rodrigo De Paul pass and delicately dinked over the advancing Gillier to make it 5-1.
Trending Stories
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
How fast can the Sukhoi Su-30 fighter jet really fly?
)
Did China ask its people 'not to respond to aliens'? Origin of bizarre claim on social media
)
MS Dhoni-CSK Fallout? Report claims failed stake sale talks triggered rift
)
Scientists reveal the SAFEST COUNTRY when catastrophe strikes the planet
)
Serial killer on the loose in South Korea's Jeju Island? Fourth body found in three days as more than a dozen people go missing
)
2/3rd of glacier detached, collapsed: ISRO satellite images reveal what triggered Nepal floods
)
Trump once again claims without him there would be ‘no Israel right now’
)
Foreign espionage attacks against German companies surge to 37%, Bitkom report reveals
)
Blake Lively wins partial legal fee from Justin Baldoni after $8M request
)
Why is Pakistan deploying Turkish Bayraktar TB2 drones near India border?
)
'OH MY GOD! We've found other agents!': Investigators discover not one or two, almost 700 OpenAI AI agents went rogue, hacked Hugging Face
)
Lunar eclipse 2026: India timings, places to see and more. August Blood moon factsheet
)
RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat on global outreach tour
)
Both pilots killed as training aircraft crashes in Lucknow – What we know
)
16-year-old charged with preparing terror attack on kindergarten in Norway
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
How the S-400 protects itself from enemy attacks
)
Nepal floods: Over 165 dead, 400 missing; US, India, China, World Bank mobilise aid
)
India's multi-layered watch: The new surveillance war
)
5 doomsday planes spotted in US skies hours after CIA director's secret trip to Russia
)
9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed to finally face trial in 2028, nearly 27 years after horrific attacks
)
Islamabad hospital fire: What we know about one of the biggest facility that housed Imran Khan
)
Workers run for life while filming Nepal flash flood: Scary new visuals emerge from Rasuwa
)
Russian military planes enter South Korean air defence zone amid rising tensions with North Korea: What's happening
)
Ron Weasley Is Back! Rupert Grint set to return to Harry Potter universe on Broadway
)
400-year-old 'vampire' grave in Poland reveals non-existent genetic lineage
)
Dolly Parton, global icon and queen of country music, dies at 80
)
Nepal flash floods: Kailash Mansarovar yatra affected, close to 400 pilgrims out of contact
)
'If he is dead, they're putting on a pretty good show': Trump casts fresh doubt over Mojtaba Khamenei's fate
)
Man arrested near US Capitol with guillotine in pickup truck: What happened?
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
Why the Su-30MKI cockpit is painted bright turquoise green
WATCH Messi's four goals -
Teenage substitute Alex Shaw added a sixth goal in the 89th minute, before Messi stunned the arena with his rare fourth of the evening to win it for Miami. The 2022 World Cup winner curled in a trademark free kick from the edge of the area in the dying minutes to cap off a memorable outing.
The victory leaves Miami in second place in the Eastern Conference, seven points behind leaders Nashville.
(With inputs from AFP)
