FOXBORO – Over 43,000 fans flocked to Gillette Stadium Wednesday night, and those donning black and pink Lionel Messi uniforms there to witness his greatness were not disappointed.
After scoring twice against Montréal on Saturday, Messi and Inter Miami got right back to it Wednesday night against the New England Revolution in a 2-1 win.
The Argentinian scored twice in a 10 minute span, putting the Herons up 2-0 at halftime. With his feat, Messi became the first player in MLS history to score at least two goals in four straight league matches.
“I said it going into the game, I thought he was playing some of his best soccer of his career,” Revs coach Caleb Porter said of Messi. “It just shows how competitive he is, how much of a beast.
“It’s been said a million times, he’s the best ever and in my opinion it’s not even close. I’ve seen it firsthand now in three games, it’s unbelievable that he continues to show up every single game after game after game.”
His first score came off a poorly headed pass by New England defender Tanner Beason which went right to the Argentine.
After just missing on another shot in the 31st, Messi struck again in the 37th. Sergio Busquets placed a perfect pass to his longtime teammate all the way from midfield, which Messi easily buried.
Miami coach Javier Mascherano got to see how dangerous Busquets and Messi can be while playing alongside them at Barcelona.
“They are playing for many, many years, when they see each other they connect and they know what they think,” Mascherano said of Busquets and Messi. “In this kind of game, with that second goal, Busi understands when and where Leo wants the ball. It’s fantastic for us.”
In the first 45 minutes Messi was contributing elsewhere as well, consistently setting up teammates in the box in both open play and on set pieces.
Coming out for the second half, Messi did not tally another goal but kept the Revs on their toes. Despite the high match load in recent weeks, the 38-year-old still played for the entirety of the match, tallying 44 passes, 3 corners, and 2 goals in his 95 minutes.
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