Lionel Messi delivered a complete performance on Sunday night, scoring one goal and setting up another as Inter Miami beat the Portland Timbers 2-0. The result gave the defending MLS champions their first victory at the Nu Stadium after four winless home games at the newly opened venue.
The 38-year-old Argentine was the standout player throughout the match, causing problems for the Timbers defence from the first whistle to the last. With the FIFA World Cup less than a month away, Messi showed exactly why he remains one of the most dangerous players in the game.
Messi Opens the Scoring With a Slick Team Goal
Inter Miami took the lead on the half-hour mark through a well-worked team move that Messi both started and finished. He laid the ball off to Luis Suarez, who then found Telasco Segovia with a through ball. Segovia responded with a sharp backheel that put the ball straight back at Messi’s feet, and the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner swept it into the far corner from close range.
It was the kind of goal that summed up Miami’s best football — quick, instinctive, and built around the understanding between Messi and his fellow South Americans in the squad.
Messi’s Assist Doubles the Lead Before Half-Time
Ten minutes after the opener, fellow Argentine Rodrigo De Paul pushed forward down the right flank and found Messi in space. Messi played a quick one-two with Suarez before driving into the penalty area, beating four defenders along the way. Rather than going for goal himself, he used the outside of his left foot to lay it off perfectly for German Berterame, who tapped in from close range.
The second goal effectively ended the contest before the break. In the second half, the game slowed down and Portland had little to offer going forward. Messi came close to adding a third when he curled a left-footed effort from outside the box that drifted just wide of the post.
Deep into stoppage time, he tested Portland goalkeeper James Pantemis with a well-struck free kick. Pantemis produced a superb full-stretch save to tip the ball away from the top corner, denying Messi a deserved third goal on the night.
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Inter Miami Move Top of the Eastern Conference
The win carries real importance in the standings. Inter Miami now sit at the top of the Eastern Conference, one point ahead of Nashville SC, though Nashville have two games in hand.
The result also ended a difficult run at the Nu Stadium. The 27,000-capacity ground opened last month to significant fanfare, but the first four home games brought only three draws and a painful 4-3 defeat to Orlando City after Miami had led 3-0.
Sunday’s result changes the mood around the new ground considerably.
For Messi personally, the timing of this form is significant. The World Cup, hosted across the United States, Mexico, and Canada, kicks off on June 11. Messi, who won the tournament with Argentina in Qatar, is set to appear at a sixth World Cup, a milestone he will share only with Cristiano Ronaldo. If Sunday night is any indication, he arrives at the tournament in fine condition.
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