Five assists and a goal, all in a single half: this is the result of Argentine superstar Lionel Messi during Inter Miami’s 6-2 victory against the New York Red Bulls on Saturday in the championship North American MLS.
The “Pulga” was not the only one to shine during this match played in Florida, since his Uruguayan teammate Luis Suarez scored a hat-trick.
Léo Messi began his festival while his franchise was trailing 1-0 at the break: after having delivered a first “D pass” to the incoming Matias Rojas, in the 48th, the eight-time Ballon d’Or himself allowed Miami to take the advantage two minutes later, on a pass from… Luis Suarez.
After a double for Rojas, the former infernal duo of FC Barcelona had a field day, the Uruguayan scoring three times in less than 15 minutes, from the 68th to the 81st.
“Obviously, what we saw today may be surprising, because it’s not something we see (normally) in football… But as a teammate, and to know him well, nothing doesn’t surprise me coming from him,” reacted Luis Suarez (37), about the performance of his attacking partner.
This statistical performance, unheard of in MLS, allows the Argentinian to increase the number of his goals to 10 and his assists to 12 in eight matches played.
Thanks to this success, Inter Miami maintains the lead in the Eastern Conference, with 24 points in 12 matches. New York RB is 4th with 17 points in 11 games.
Xherdan Shaqiri returns
Injured two weeks ago, Xherdan Shaqiri returned to competition on Saturday. The Chicago striker actually came on in the 65th minute of a match the Fire lost 0-1 at home against New England, last in the Eastern Conference. He armed a free kick which had the weight of the equalizer in the 73rd minute, but the opposing goalkeeper, Slovenian Aljaz Ivaci, made a superb save.
Furthermore, Swiss goalkeeper Roman Bürki achieved his fourth shutout of the season, St. Louis going for a point in Houston (0-0). RTY
Xherdan Shaqiri made his return to competition.
IMAGO/USA TODAY Network
