Messi becomes first player in MLS history with multiple goal contributions in five straight games

EditorLast Update :
Messi becomes first player in MLS history with multiple goal contributions in five straight games

It was yet another record-breaking night on Saturday for Lionel Messi as he scored two goals and assisted another for Inter Miami in their 4-1 comeback win over the New England Revolution.

In front of 65,612 fans — a new record for a Revolution match at Gillette Stadium — Messi had his fifth consecutive league match with two or more goal contributions, which is a new MLS record. And with his two goals, he took his place as the league’s top scorer with nine goals in seven matches this season. He also now has seven assists, giving him a share of the league lead in that category as well.

New England entered the match with a large segment of their squad suffering from a virus that impacted the starting lineup, but they still managed to take a surprising 1-0 lead in the first minute of the match. Messi responded, though, scoring his first of the night in the 32nd minute.

Messi then scored his second in the 68th minute off a perfect pass from a familiar source: Sergio Busquets.

In the 86th minute, with the home team down two goals, Messi waved to the crowd during a stoppage of play, eliciting a huge roar of gratitude. Then, in the 89th minute, Messi set up Luis Suarez, who came off the bench to provide the exclamation point.

With the victory, Miami retains the top spot in the Eastern Conference and the best record in MLS.

(Photo: Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)