Lionel Messi needed little time to settle back into club football, scoring twice in his first outing since his Argentina farewell as Inter Miami cruised to a 4-0 win over DC United in MLS.
Lionel Messi returned to club duty with two goals as Inter Miami eased past DC United 4-0 in MLS, days after an emotional farewell appearance for Argentina in Buenos Aires.
Messi, 39, had scored in what was his final outing for the national team earlier in the week, and he carried that form into the league fixture by striking twice after the interval.
Luis Suarez matched his teammate with a brace of his own, a double that lifted Miami into second place in the Eastern Conference.
The veteran striker, formerly of Liverpool and Barcelona, needed only three minutes to open the scoring, sweeping the ball home from a cross after being left unmarked in the DC penalty area.
Suarez added a second seven minutes before half time, bundling the ball home after Messi’s initial effort had been saved.
The Uruguayan then turned provider after the break, clipping a pass to Messi, who poked it past goalkeeper Sean Johnson to make it three.
Thirteen minutes later, Messi produced the pick of the goals. Having collected the ball on the edge of the penalty box, he danced past several DC defenders before finishing calmly into the corner of the net.
The goals took his MLS tally for the season to 23 as he chases what would be a third consecutive league MVP award.
Miami coach Kily Gonzalez had urged fans earlier in the week to appreciate the talents of his compatriot while they still can.
“He’ll be missed in that [Argentina] jersey, of course, but today we have him here, and we have to enjoy having him with us now,” Gonzalez said.
The result moved Miami up to second in the Eastern Conference and served as a reminder of what Messi still offers his club, a point Gonzalez made when he asked supporters to savour the forward’s presence while they have it.
