Miami (AFP) – Lionel Messi scored twice to help Inter Miami rout DC United 4-0 on Saturday, taking a victory in his first match since saying farewell to the Argentina national team. Four nights after scoring in his final match for the Albiceleste in a victory over Benin, the 39-year-old South American superstar struck in the 47th and 60th minutes as defending MLS champion Miami won for only the second time in their past 11 league matches. A first-half brace by Luis Suarez staked the Herons to the lead as they improved to 13-5 with 10 drawn for 49 points, jumping from third to second in the Eastern Conference.
Messi hopes to make Miami the first team to win back-to-back MLS crowns since the Los Angeles Galaxy in 2011-12. Messi, the top point producer in the league with 23 goals plus assists on 13 others, seeks a third consecutive MLS Most Valuable Player award. Uruguayan striker Suarez scored in the third minute to give Miami the lead, blasting a left-footed shot from the heart of the box into the top left corner. Suarez struck again in the 39th for his 16th goal of the campaign, assisted like his first of the night by German Berterame.
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Messi blasted home a left-footed shot off an assist from Suarez to give Miami a 3-0 lead and evaded three defenders to add another goal 13 minutes later as the pink-clad hosts pulled away to stay.
In other games, Scottish striker Lewis Morgan and American Djordje Mihailovic scored in second-half stoppage time to rally Toronto for a 2-1 home victory over Montreal. The visitors grabbed the lead in the Canadian clash on a goal by Mexican forward Daniel Rios in the 52nd minute. Toronto, however, battled back for the equalizer by winger Morgan, obtained last month from San Diego, in the third minute of stoppage time, his first regular-season MLS goal in two years. Former Montreal standout Mihailovic struck for the decider in the fifth minute of extra time. “Now I’ve scored on both sides of this derby,” he said. “It feels good.” Toronto snapped a three-game losing streak to pull within a point of an East playoff berth.
At Chicago, Swiss forward Maren Haile-Selassie scored in the 87th minute to give the 10-man Chicago Fire a 2-1 triumph over New York City. Austrian midfielder Hannes Wolf gave City the lead in the 19th minute and Chicago dropped to 10 men when Ivory Coast midfielder Dje D’Avilla received his second yellow card in the 43rd minute. Swede Anton Saletros equalized for Chicago in the 55th minute, setting the stage for the decider.
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