Messi scores twice and gives an assist in second match for Inter Miami

Lionel Messi and Sergio Busquets enjoyed a dream first start for Inter Miami on Tuesday, July 25, as they thrashed MLS rivals Atlanta United 4-0 in the League Cup competition at DRV PNK Stadium.

Fresh from a blockbusting, last-gasp winner on his debut against Cruz Azul last Friday, the Argentine superstar was back in the old routine against Atlanta United last night.

The seventh-placed Eastern Conference MLS team were humiliated by last-placed Inter Miami in the Leagues Cup game, and they are also the first MLS team to experience the Messi-driven devastation awaiting soccer clubs across the nation.

It took Messi just eight minutes of his first start to open the scoring for Inter Miami. After netting his second in the first 22 minutes of the match, Messi celebrated by pointing at Inter Miami owner David Beckham.

Robert Taylor grabbed the next two, and his second goal came via an assist from Messi. Speaking after the match, Taylor said;

“He can do everything on the ball. He can keep it in tight spaces, and he makes the right decision 100% of the time. 

“Most of the time he’ll find one of his team-mates. He brings so much quality to the team, so much. I mean, he’s the best player in the world.

“This is what he does – he scores two goals, he scored last game, gets another assist. It’s a dream come true to play with him.”

Messi, who is a seven-time Ballon d’Or winner, only trained with his team-mates for the first time last week after moving to the Major League Soccer side following the end of his contract at Paris St-Germain (PSG).

The 2022 World Cup winner scored 32 goals in 75 games during a two-year spell with the French champions and turned down lucrative offers from other countries to play in the US.