Lionel Messi scored a brace in Inter Miami's 3-5 win against Cincinnati. Image Credit: X/@InterMiamiCF
Inter Miami vs Cincinnati Highlights: If not him, then who? Lionel Messi continues to be the match-winner for Inter Miami despite being denied a hat-trick. A day later, when possibly his biggest rival in the footballing world, Cristiano Ronaldo, was almost brought to tears after a draw against Al Hilal kept him waiting for his first league title with Al Nassr, Messi put in a great shift to win an eight-goal thriller against Cincinnati. The Argentine winger showed his hunger right before the FIFA World Cup, which will kick off in less than a month right here in the United States of America. Messi, who will turn 39 in a month, scored a couple of goals and made an assist while one of his shots was deemed an own goal, denying him a hat-trick.
In the MLS on Wednesday, Inter Miami rallied to defeat FC Cincinnati 5-3 on the road thanks to two goals from Lionel Messi and two assists. Argentina’s captain, Messi, is in outstanding form as the World Cup in the USA alongside Canada and Mexico approaches in less than a month. In MLS 2026, he has scored 11 goals in 12 games, and Miami’s most recent win moved them up to second place in the Eastern Conference with 25 points.
Messi opened the scoring in the 24th minute after a poor error from one of the Cincinnati defenders proved costly. Kevin Denkey then scored in the 41st minute from the spot to tie the match up. Inter Miami was trailing after a goal from Pavel Bucha in the 49th minute.
However, Lionel Messi scored once again in the 55th minute after being assisted by national teammate Rodrigo de Paul. For the second time in the game, Inter Miami was behind as Evander scored for Cincinnati.
Messi did what he does best as he assisted Mateo Silvettie, who equalised the game in the 79th minute. With six minutes of regulation time remaining, Inter Miami scored again to take the lead. German Berterame scored the fourth goal for the Messi-led side.
Lionel Messi then had almost got his hat-trick before his goal in the 89th minute was deemed an own goal from Cincinnati’s keeper, Roman Celentano.
Fans have been asking questions about Lionel Messi’s participation in the FIFA World Cup for the past few months, but his selection in Argentina’s preliminary team for the competition may have allayed any worries. The 38-year-old has not yet confirmed his availability as Argentina attempts to defend its title, despite being one of the 55 players listed by Lionel Scaloni in his initial World Cup squad on Monday.
Pragun is a passionate cricket follower and writer who deeply loves the game. Having completed his education with a degree in Journalism and Mass Communication, he has an experience of almost two years in diverse fields. He is known for his statistical and analytical articles. Pragun tries to bring life to his articles by adding a layer of enthusiasm from the perspective of a hardcore fan. Apart from writing cricket articles, he sometimes appears on YouTube videos on a friend’s podcast.
Cannes 2026: Alia Bhatt Calls Aishwarya Rai Bachchan’s ‘Devdas’ Saree Look Truly Iconic
Alia Bhatt really likes the saree that Aishwarya Rai Bachchan wore to the Devdas premiere…
Air India has announced the cancellation of around 400 international flights between June and August…
Keeping gold at home is completely legal in India — but how much is too…
