(CNN) — Lionel Messi and Inter Miami They made history in Major League Soccer (MLS) on Saturday night, defeating the New England Revolution 6-2 on the final day of the regular season.
Miami made an amazing comeback after falling behind by two goals in the first half, scoring six unanswered goals, delighting its fans at Chase Stadium.
Messi entered the field as a substitute in the second half and stole the show with a hat-trick he scored between the 78th and 89th minutes. In this way, the 37-year-old became the top scorer in the club’s short history, with 33 goals, surpassing his teammate Leonardo Campana’s tally of 32 goals, according to what local newspapers reported.
With this 22nd win of the season, Miami added 74 points, surpassing the American League record of 73 set by the Revolution in 2021. According to the club.
“For the team, it’s a boost of confidence, more confidence,” coach Gerardo Martino said after the match via Inter Miami. “As we said before, these 74 points were not something planned or a goal that we had when the season started, but when it was within reach, we tried to achieve it, and today we were able to do it.”
“The truth is that this is a victory for all of us, who make up the Inter Miami family. It is difficult to make this an individual achievement; I think this is a victory for everyone.”
Inter Miami had already clinched the league title earlier this month by winning the Supporters’ Shield for the first time – awarded to the team at the top of the MLS standings – and celebrated with the trophy after the match.
Based on the team’s success in the league, FIFA President Gianni Infantino said advertisement After the match Miami earned a spot in The Club World Cup is renewed For the year 2025, which will be organized by the United States.
New England entered the game ranked 14th in the Eastern Conference and already eliminated from the postseason race, but it looked like they were on their way to a breakthrough when Luca Langone and Dylan Borrero gave the Revolution a two-goal lead in the first period.
Luis Suarez, Messi’s former Barcelona teammate, cut the lead with a left-footed shot in the 40th minute, before the Uruguayan equalized two minutes later with his second goal in the 20th match this season.
The Argentine’s entry tipped the balance significantly in Miami’s favor, as the star striker participated in the goal that gave the home team the lead. He combined well with left-back Jordi Alba – another former Blaugrana teammate – who assisted youngster Benjamin Cremachi in the area to make it 3-2.
From there, the offer was up to Messi. His first goal came after a powerful shot from outside the area, before he added the second with a shot from close range two minutes later.
Another excellent goal for the team, assisted by Suarez, gave Messi a hat-trick to cap off the scoring frenzy.
Miami will face the winner of the Eastern Conference wild-card game between Montreal and Atlanta United on Friday in the first game of a best-of-three series, seeking the first MLS Cup title in club history.
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