Messi scores twice as Inter Miami beat Atlanta 3-1

Lionel Messi scored two goals in a four-minute span to lead Inter Miami to a 3-1 victory over Atlanta United at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. German Berterame opened the scoring for the Herons just before the interval; Malay Mail reports that Messi assisted the goal by heading the ball to Luis Suarez, who then provided the pass for Berterame to nod home. Yahoo Sports notes that Messi played a crucial role in the build-up to the goal.

Messi scored his first goal in the 56th minute by cutting inside from the right flank and exchanging passes with Berterame before finishing low. Four minutes later, Messi scored his second goal on a breakaway after being released by a pass from Luis Suarez. Yahoo Sports reports that the 39-year-old beat his marker to fire past the goalkeeper, while Malay Mail identifies the defender as Junior Alonso and the keeper as Lucas Hoyos. Fafa Picault scored for the hosts in the 89th minute.

The win marks Inter Miami's third consecutive victory. According to Malay Mail, Messi currently tops the MLS scoring chart with 25 goals. Yahoo Sports reports that with this performance, Messi has become the first player in MLS history to record at least 15 assists in three consecutive seasons.

Brief written by urgent.news from Punch, Yahoo Sports, Malay Mail — 3 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.