Messi Fires Four as Miami Thrash Montreal 7-1
Lionel Messi produced a masterclass performance on Saturday night, scoring four goals and adding an assist as Inter Miami dismantled CF Montreal 7-1 at Nu Stadium to end a five-game winless streak in emphatic fashion.
The 39-year-old Argentine, already the reigning MLS Golden Boot winner and league MVP, moved clear at the top of the scoring charts with 18 goals for the season. The result marked Miami’s most lopsided victory in club history and offered a timely boost amid recent coaching uncertainty.
The scoring opened in the 20th minute when Casemiro rose highest to head home a corner from Telasco Segovia, giving the hosts a 1-0 lead. Montreal responded in the 37th minute as Fabian Herbers finished a pass from Noah Streit to level the score at 1-1. Just three minutes later Messi restored the advantage with a low free-kick that deflected off defender Luca Petrasso and the goalkeeper before finding the net, sending Miami into the break ahead 2-1.
After the interval Messi took complete control. In the 52nd minute he produced a moment of individual brilliance, weaving past multiple defenders before slotting a right-footed shot into the far corner for 3-1. The former Barcelona star then turned provider in the 80th minute, delivering a perfectly weighted one-touch chip that sent Luis Suárez clear; the Uruguayan finished calmly to make it 4-1. Three minutes later Messi completed his hat-trick, chipping the advancing goalkeeper after a pass from Rodrigo De Paul to stretch the lead to 5-1.
Eighteen-year-old substitute Alexander Shaw added his first MLS goal in the 89th minute with a strike from outside the box, making the score 6-1. Messi was not finished. In the sixth minute of stoppage time he stepped up to another free-kick and curled the ball into the net for his fourth goal of the night and the final 7-1 scoreline. The performance left the home crowd chanting his name and underlined why the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner remains the most decisive force in the league.
For a Miami side that had endured weeks of frustration, the night offered both relief and a vivid reminder of the heights still possible when Messi is at his most inspired. As the season heads into its decisive stretch, performances of this quality keep open every possibility for a side that continues to revolve around its peerless number ten.
