In the 79th minute of the match at Empower Field at Mile High on 18/4, Messi dribbled down the right wing and entered the Colorado penalty area. After finding space between two defenders, he curled a left-footed shot into the top corner, sealing a 3-2 victory for Inter Miami.
With 7 goals since the start of the MLS 2026 season, Messi is currently leading the Golden Boot race alongside Petar Musa (Dallas) and Sam Surridge (Nashville). The Inter Miami captain also increased his career tally to 905 goals, trailing Cristiano Ronaldo's record of 968 goals.
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Lionel Messi (second from left) celebrates a goal during Inter Miami's 3-2 victory over Colorado in MLS Matchday 8 on 18/4. *Photo: AP* |
Both teams entered the match with similar form. In their last 10 games, Colorado had won 6, while Inter Miami remained unbeaten in 9 matches. At home, Colorado recorded 6 wins, 2 draws, and 2 losses, whereas Inter Miami secured 5 wins, 3 draws, and 2 losses in their last 10 away games.
Indeed, the match proved to be quite balanced. Although Colorado had twice as many shots on goal (10 compared to 5), Inter Miami consistently held the lead, despite this being their first match since head coach Javier Mascherano resigned.
In the 18th minute, after Yannick Bright was fouled, leading to a penalty, Messi stepped up to convert it, opening the scoring for the defending champions. Buoyed by the early advantage, the visitors continued to play well, doubling their lead with a header from German Berterame in the 45+5 minute. Messi provided the assist for this goal.
The two-goal lead seemed to cause some Inter Miami players, especially in defense, to lose focus. In the 58th minute, they allowed Rafael Navarro to dribble through and score, reducing the deficit to 1-2 for Colorado. Four minutes later, substitute Darren Yapi broke free and shot past the Inter Miami goalkeeper, leveling the score at 2-2.
Inter Miami had to rely on Messi's brilliance to secure all 3 points, even after playing with 10 men against 11 at the end of the match due to Bright receiving a red card in the 87th minute. This result propelled Inter Miami to second place in the MLS Eastern Conference table with 15 points from 8 games, trailing Nashville by 1 point and having played one more match.
Thanh Quy
