Lionel Messi Scores Twice and Sets an MLS Assist Mark as Inter Miami Beat Atlanta United 3-1

For 44 minutes, Atlanta United had the plan working. Then Lionel Messi decided he had seen enough. In the space of 15 minutes either side of halftime, the Inter Miami captain set up one goal, scored two more and wrote another line into the MLS record book, and Mercedes-Benz Stadium went from hopeful to helpless.

Inter Miami beat Atlanta United 3-1 on Saturday night, a third straight win for a team that has suddenly rediscovered its swagger at exactly the right time. Germán Berterame headed the opener on the stroke of halftime, Messi scored in the 56th and 60th minutes, and Fafà Picault's late penalty was the only consolation for the hosts.

Atlanta's Good Half Goes Unrewarded

Credit the 5-Stripes for the first 45. They started with intent, and Breel Embolo had two looks on the same break in the seventh minute, one with each foot, after Miguel Almirón got loose. Atlanta's own recap noted it was just the sixth time all season that Miami failed to attempt a shot in the opening 20 minutes of a match. Tristan Muyumba then flashed a shot just wide from the center of the box in the 27th minute.

Miami's first real moment came in the 41st, when Messi tried his luck from outside the box and Lucas Hoyos kept it out of the top right corner. Both clubs described that effort as a free kick. Three minutes later, Tomás Jacob was booked, and Atlanta's good work unraveled right before the whistle. Luis Suárez floated a cross toward the far post and Berterame headed it in from point-blank range in the 45th minute. According to The Associated Press, it was his ninth goal in his first 26 MLS appearances.

It was also a record-setter for Messi. MLS, the AP and Inter Miami all credited him with a secondary assist on the goal, his 15th assist of the season, making him the first player in league history with at least 15 assists in three consecutive seasons. The AP noted that tied him with LAFC's Son Heung-min for the league lead.

The Four-Minute Takeover

Atlanta came out of the break swinging. Almirón went through one-on-one in the 52nd minute after an Embolo pass, but Dayne St. Clair got his right leg to it, a save Atlanta's own recap called unbelievable. Jacob and Alexey Miranchuk both missed the target from the ensuing corner.

Then Messi took over. In the 56th minute, he collected the ball, worked a give-and-go with Berterame, wriggled into the box and slid a left-footed finish past Hoyos. Four minutes later, Suárez split the defense with an outside-of-the-boot pass on the counter, Messi skipped past a defender and rolled it into the bottom right corner for 3-0. MLS pointed out that the defender in question was Júnior Alonso, whose late block had denied Messi in the 2-2 draw in Miami last month. Petty? Maybe. Effective? Extremely.

Atlanta kept pushing. A Miami penalty claim was waved off after a VAR review in the 71st minute, Matt Edwards hit the right post from distance in the 86th, and Picault, on as an 82nd-minute substitute, drew a foul from Maximiliano Falcón in the box and converted the 89th-minute penalty into the bottom right corner. St. Clair then denied Mauricio Amaro deep in stoppage time.

Messi Is Not Slowing Down

Lionel Messi had five shots, put four on target, scored twice and added the secondary assist. Per the AP, those were his league-leading 24th and 25th goals of the season, and he and Josef Martínez are now the only players in league history to score at least 25 times in a regular season twice. The AP also noted his 40 goal contributions sit nine shy of Carlos Vela's record from 2019, with four matches remaining. MLS added that Messi has now recorded goal contributions in 13 straight matches.

Kily González, Miami's head coach, was in awe. "I can't believe this guy does what he does at 39 years of age," González said, according to MLS. "To me, he's an alien."

Germán Berterame scored and assisted Messi's first, a complete night for a forward who also got caught offside three times. Luis Suárez assisted the opener and Messi's second, and Inter Miami said the latter made him just the second player to reach 100 goal contributions for the club. For Atlanta, Lucas Hoyos made two saves, both against Messi.

The Turning Point

Berterame's goal on the stroke of halftime was the dagger. Atlanta had matched Miami for 44 minutes and were heading into the locker room level with a game plan that was working. Instead they went in a goal down, and the second half became a chase that opened space for exactly the player you least want to give space to.

Stats That Matter

• Shots: Atlanta outshot Miami 20-7, but Miami put five on target to Atlanta's three.
• Possession: Miami had 55.4 percent of the ball.
• Crosses: Atlanta tried 26 crosses and completed four.
• Blocked shots: Seven of Atlanta's attempts were blocked.
• Saves: Each goalkeeper made two.

What It Means

Inter Miami move to 15-10-5 (wins, draws, losses) with 55 points. MLS noted the defending champions had already clinched a playoff spot midweek and are tightening their grip on second place in the Eastern Conference, which comes with home-field advantage in Round One. According to MLS, this third straight win, by a combined 9-1, followed a five-game winless slide.

González wants more. "My idea is for the team to keep on improving," he said.

Atlanta drop to 8-6-16 with 30 points in what MLS called a rebuilding year under Gerardo Martino. They had won 3-0 at Montréal midweek, so this was a reality check. The 5-Stripes host the Chicago Fire next Saturday.

The Closing Take

Atlanta brought a solid game plan to a Messi fight, and for 44 minutes it held. Then the night turned into a magic show where everyone knows the trick is coming and still cannot see how it is done. Miami are rolling, and their captain is rewriting the record book in real time.

Stats from ESPN's match data. Postgame quotes as reported by MLSsoccer.com. Additional details from The Associated Press via ESPN, Inter Miami CF and Atlanta United.