Messi's brace and 15th assist fire Inter Miami to 3-1 win at Atlanta

Lionel Messi scored twice in four minutes and added an assist as Inter Miami beat Atlanta United 3-1 at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Saturday night.

Germán Berterame opened the scoring in the final minute of the first half, heading home with assists from Messi and Luis Suárez — his ninth goal in his first 26 MLS appearances. Messi’s secondary assist drew him level with LAFC’s Son Heung-min at the top of the league charts with 15, making him the first player in MLS history to record at least 15 assists in three consecutive seasons.

Messi then took the game away after the break, striking in the 56th and 60th minutes to extend his league-leading tally to 25 goals and give Miami a 3-0 advantage. Berterame assisted on both scores, while Suárez also set up the second.

Messi, who won the Golden Boot Award last season with 29 goals, is one of only two players — alongside Josef Martínez — to score at least 25 times in an MLS regular season twice. His 40 goal contributions are nine short of Carlos Vela’s 2019 record with Los Angeles FC, with four matches remaining.

Dayne St. Clair made two saves for Miami before losing his clean sheet to Fafà Picault’s 89th-minute penalty, while Lucas Hoyos made two saves for Atlanta.