"He can find spaces no other player can" - Lionel Messi lauded by New England Revolution star after recent MLS showdown
On April 27, 2024, Inter Miami bagged a 4-1 win against New England Revolution in Major League Soccer at Gillette Stadium, with Lionel Messi having three goal contributions in the clash.
Everyone was impressed by the stellar performance of the 36-year-old Argentine icon, including opponent defender Xavier Arreaga, who was full of praise for Messi and referred to him as the "best". The 29-year-old Ecuadorian told Boston Globe:
“That kind of player, that’s why he’s the best, because he can find the space that I think no other player can find. Obviously they also have a good player like [Sergio] Busquets, they know the perfect pass between them. It was hard because I think the first 35 minutes, we did a great job trying to block most of the passes for Messi, but at the end of the day, we couldn’t do that and he scored.”
New England Revolution opened the scoring in the very first minute of the match with Argentine forward Tomás Chancalay's goal. The home side were able to maintain their lead for a while followed by Lionel Messi netting his first goal of the match in the 32nd minute with an assist from Robert Taylor.
The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner scored the lead in the 67th minute with an assist from his former Barcelona teammate, Sergio Busquets. It was followed by Benjamin Cremaschi scoring the third goal of the match for Inter Miami. Luis Suárez netted the last goal with an assist from Lionel Messi in the 88th minute.
New England Revolution captain Carles Gil also lauded the Argentine icon's dedication to the game, saying:
"You need to be focused for 90 minutes. If you only last 45 minutes, [Messi] scores two goals and one assist. He’s focused for 90 minutes."
Inter Miami are currently on top of the Major League Soccer table with 21 points from 11 matches.
Lionel Messi makes MLS record with Inter Miami's win against New England Revolution
Following the 4-1 victory against New England Revolution, Lionel Messi became the first player in Major League Soccer history to have multiple goal contributions in five consecutive matches.
After the end of the match, New England Revolution manager Caleb Porter shared his opinion on the clash and Messi's performance, saying (h/t missoccer.com):
"I thought in the first half, after the goal, we had them locked up pretty good. They were able to find two goals when we felt pretty good about the defending, and that we were limiting their effectiveness, creating clear chances. Then Messi did what he does, and he found a crack. He finds two goals out of nowhere."
Lionel Messi has netted 22 goals in 24 matches across competitions for Inter Miami along with providing 11 assists in 1,930 minutes of action. The Herons face third-placed New York Red Bulls next in the league on Saturday, May 4.