Messi scores twice again as Inter Miami beat Atlanta United 3-1

Messi doubles up again as Inter Miami edge Atlanta United 3-1

Inter Miami surged to a 3-1 win over Atlanta United on Saturday, with Lionel Messi once again scoring twice at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

Messi scored twice in Miami's 4-0 win over D.C. United last weekend, though he did not find the net in a 2-0 defeat of New York City FC in midweek. He was back on target on Saturday as Miami eased to a triumph in Atlanta.

Berterame breaks the deadlock

Messi had seen a free-kick kept out by Atlanta goalkeeper Lucas Hoyos before German Berterame put Miami up on the stroke of half-time, turning in from Luis Suarez's cross.

Messi seals the win

Miami's captain then put the contest to bed with two goals in the space of four second-half minutes. First, Messi combined with Berterame before slotting home at the end of a brilliant run. Then, the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner latched onto Suarez's pass, turned his marker inside out and finished.

Messi looked set to complete a hat-trick when Paulo Diaz was pinned for handball, but VAR intervened, deeming that Suarez had committed a foul first. Matt Edwards also struck the woodwork for Atlanta.

The hosts did get a consolation late on when Maximiliano Falcon felled Fafa Picault, who dispatched the resulting spot-kick.

More MLS history for Messi

Messi has now gone 12 straight regular-season matches with a goal involvement. The only longer single-season streak in MLS history is 15, set by Josef Martinez in 2019, with Messi now matching Sebastian Giovinco's run of 12 games in 2018. Messi has scored 23 goals and set up 15 this season, making him the first player in MLS history to record at least 15 assists in three straight campaigns.

Coach hails 'alien'

"I can't believe this guy does what he does at 39 years of age," Miami head coach Cristian "Kily" González said of Messi. "And what makes me happiest is that he's happy. So if he's happy, he performs the way he performs, he enjoys... Every day that I see him, I smile.

"He's a player who never stops surprising you. To me, he's an alien. He's a player who amazes me in every action, during every training session that I watch. And God willing, he'll keep on amazing us until the day he decides to retire."