Inter Miami turned a tight game into a blowout on Saturday night, thumping CF Montréal 7–1 behind four goals and an assist from Lionel Messi at Nu Stadium. The Washington Post’s game report says Messi scored once before halftime and three more after the break to deliver a four-goal outing in MLS play as Miami ran away with it late.
The scoring started early for the home side. Inter Miami’s match recap notes Casemiro headed in a Segovia corner for a goal. Montréal answered before halftime, but, according to the Post, Messi restored the lead with a free kick. He scored again after the break and later set up a goal that Luis Suárez finished. Academy product Alexander Shaw added another for Miami, and Messi completed the rout with another free kick in stoppage time.
There were records and milestones to go with the fireworks. Inter Miami called the margin the largest in club history. MLSsoccer.com reported the seven goals set a club record for most scored in a single game, and noted that Messi joined a small group of players in league history to score four in a match. The league site also gave updated season totals that moved him into the lead in the Golden Boot race.
Context matters here, too. Coverage noted Miami entered the night trying to halt a winless run in all competitions. The emphatic performance did that and then some, moving the Herons up in the standings, per reporting. It also came during a week of transition for the club: reports said a coaching change had been announced and that the interim coach was unavailable for the match.
Individual footnotes filled out the story. The Washington Post accounted for Messi’s four goals at key moments and recorded Suárez’s strike as another goal of the season, set up by Messi. Inter Miami’s recap highlighted Shaw’s breakthrough and Segovia’s assist. FOX Sports and theScore likewise framed the night as a “historic” home win at Nu Stadium, underscoring how fully Miami controlled the final half-hour.
Why it matters
For casual fans, this was the kind of night that keeps MLS in the headlines: a global star deciding a game almost single-handedly. For Miami supporters, it broke a rough stretch and reset momentum with fall approaching. And for the league’s scoring race, Messi’s outburst pushed him to the top — a reminder that the Golden Boot could come down to every chance he gets over the remainder of the season.