Messi settles it in four minutes as Inter Miami win 3-1 at Atlanta

Four minutes, two moments, and the game was gone. In front of 46,686 spectators at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Saturday night, Berterame had opened the scoring just before the break, heading in a cross from Suárez (45th). Messi then took Atlanta apart: in the 56th minute he collects the ball on the right, plays a one-two with Berterame, beats a defender towards the middle and finishes low with his left foot; in the 60th, released by an outside-of-the-boot pass from Suárez, he leaves the last defender behind and rolls the ball in. Fafa Picault pulled one back from the penalty spot (89th). Miami ran out 3-1 winners.

21 shots for Atlanta, three on target

The numbers made Atlanta look dominant: 21 shots to 7, an xG of 2.3 to 1.4. But only three of those efforts were on target, against five for Miami. Volume does not replace the final touch: Messi touched the ball 63 times, put four of his five shots on target, and Miami held 54 per cent of possession.

25 goals, six clear at the top

Messi leads the MLS scoring chart with 25 goals, six ahead of Petar Musa (Dallas) and Milan Iloski (Philadelphia), both on 19. He now stands on 936 career goals, according to AFP. Inter Miami are finishing the regular season without pressure: second in the Eastern Conference on 55 points from 30 games, a playoff place sealed on Wednesday, a third straight win. “Honestly, I can’t believe a player like him, at 39, is still producing what he produces,” head coach Cristian González told Goal.com. He added: “I believe he will reach 1,000 goals.”

The same day had already belonged to Antoine Griezmann: a brace and an assist in Orlando City’s 4-1 win over DC United. On Sunday morning, L’Équipe ran both men in the same headline. Our report from Orlando.