Lionel Messi has continued his blistering start to life at Inter Miami with another influential performance in Tuesday's fixture with Atlanta United.
On Friday evening, the World Cup winner made his debut from the substitutes' bench as Inter Miami squared off against Cruz Azul in a Leagues Cup tie.
The Argentine superstar marked his arrival in fitting style, scoring a sublime 94th-minute free kick to earn the MLS side a 2-1 victory over their Mexican opponents.
Featuring in a three-team group and two sides progressing to the next stage, Inter Miami required just a draw from their meeting with Atlanta to confirm their spot in the knockout rounds.
However, a commanding triumph was never really in any doubt, with Inter Miami storming to a 4-0 success with Messi marking his first start for the club in fitting style.
With just 22 minutes on the clock, Messi had already netted twice, before Robert Taylor effectively guaranteed at least a point for his side with a goal just before half time.
#InterMiamiCF are a PROBLEM.
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) July 26, 2023
Messi tees up Taylor to make it 4-0! #LeaguesCup2023 pic.twitter.com/OHMmHSiW8i
After the break, Inter Miami soon made it four, with Messi gliding towards the penalty area before teeing up Taylor to coolly slot the ball into the far bottom corner.
Before Messi's officially unveiling, Inter Miami had won just two of their previous 13 fixtures in all competitions, with that total now being matched in the space of four days with the former Barcelona man in their team.
Speaking after the game, Taylor, who also netted versus Cruz Azul, spoke on Messi's influence, saying, as quoted by BBC Sport: "He can do everything on the ball. He can keep it in tight spaces, and he makes the right decision 100% of the time.
"Most of the time he'll find one of his teammates. He brings so much quality to the team, so much. I mean, he's the best player in the world.
"This is what he does - he scores two goals, he scored last game, gets another assist. It's a dream come true to play with him."
Inter Miami and Messi are due to be back in action at the beginning of August when the Leagues Cup last 32 takes place.
Darren Plant
