Lionel Messi Scores and Assists as Inter Miami Beat Portland Timbers 2-0 for First Win at Nu Stadium

Nu Stadium finally has its first Inter Miami win, and of course Lionel Messi signed it.

Messi scored one and set up another as Inter Miami CF beat the Portland Timbers 2-0 on Sunday night, the club's first victory at its new downtown home. Germán Berterame added the second goal, Dayne St. Clair kept a clean sheet, and Miami's interim manager, Guillermo Hoyos, greeted reporters with a question before his postgame press conference had even started. "Did you see the game? Beautiful game, right?" he asked, per MLSsoccer.com.

Early Siege, Then the Breakthrough

Miami came out hunting. Messi was denied from point-blank range by James Pantemis in the fourth minute after a Luis Suárez through ball, then had a shot blocked three minutes later. Pantemis also stopped Suárez in the 15th and Ian Fray in the 18th, and Portland's goalkeeper was quickly the busiest man in the building.

Portland had its moments. Cole Bassett tested St. Clair from distance in the 11th minute, and Brandon Bye headed a corner high and wide in the 22nd. But the hosts kept coming, and in the 31st minute the pressure produced something lovely. Telasco Segovia, according to the club, flicked a backheel into Messi's path in the middle of the box, and Messi finished with his left foot into the bottom right corner. It was his 12th goal of the regular season, per Miami.

Eleven minutes later, Messi turned creator. Rodrigo De Paul had just been booked for a foul on Bassett, and then Messi broke forward, carried the ball into the box and laid it off to Berterame, who finished first time with his right foot into the bottom left corner. Bye headed another corner off target before the break, and Miami went in up 2-0.

Portland Pushes, St. Clair Holds

Both sides changed something at halftime: Portland sent on Joao Ortiz for captain Diego Chará, and Miami replaced Ian Fray with Facundo Mura. The second half was more even, as Miami's own recap acknowledged, and Kristoffer Velde became Portland's most dangerous outlet. He sent one just over the bar in the 54th minute and forced St. Clair into a save in the 57th.

Miami still created the cleaner looks. Pantemis saved from Messi in the 65th minute, and Messi dragged another effort just wide in the 70th. Dániel Pintér, on for Suárez, forced a save in the 73rd.

The best Portland chance came in the 79th minute, when Kevin Kelsy met a Bye cross with a header toward the top right corner and St. Clair saved it. Velde had been denied in the 77th, and Antony had a shot blocked right after Kelsy's header. Miami lost Yannick Bright to an injury in the 82nd minute, with David Ayala coming on. Pantemis kept making saves, including one on Messi in stoppage time, but Portland never found a way back.

Messi Being Messi

Lionel Messi took nine shots, put four on target, scored once and assisted once. MLSsoccer.com said the performance lifted him to 12 goals and six assists, a league-best 18 goal contributions, and that he had 5g/6a in his last four games. Miami's recap added that he has now recorded multiple goal contributions in each of his last four appearances.

Hoyos sounded like a man who has stopped trying to explain it. "We are constantly amazed by these players who are simply wonderful," he said.

Telasco Segovia earned the assist on the opener, his eighth of the league campaign according to the club, which leads the team. Germán Berterame scored his fifth of the regular season, per Miami. Dayne St. Clair made four saves for the shutout.

For Portland, James Pantemis was outstanding in defeat with seven saves. The Timbers said it was his seventh match this season with five or more saves, and his second straight game with six or more. Diego Chará made his first start since March 22, which the club said was his 404th MLS start, further extending his record for most starts with a single club. Finn Surman led all players with 10 defensive contributions, per the Timbers.

The Moment

The second goal settled it. At 1-0, Portland was still in the match and had just drawn a yellow card out of De Paul. Messi's run and pass to Berterame a minute later took the air out of the visitors, and nothing Portland did in the second half fully put it back.

By the Numbers

• Shots: Miami 22, Portland 16. On target: Miami 9, Portland 4.
• Possession: Portland 55 percent, Miami 45 percent.
• Saves: Pantemis 7, St. Clair 4.
• Corners: Miami 8, Portland 5.
• Messi: 9 shots, 4 on target, 1 goal, 1 assist.

Breaking In the New Place

Miami improves to 8-4-2 with 28 points and has won three straight, following a 4-2 win at Toronto FC on May 9 and a 5-3 win at FC Cincinnati on May 13. MLSsoccer.com had the Herons second in the Eastern Conference after the win, and noted it snapped a four-game winless run at Nu Stadium. Hoyos made clear what that meant. "We earned three very important points at home for the first time," he said. "There are a lot of emotions, because we really wanted to win here."

Portland falls to 4-2-7 with 14 points, and a short unbeaten run is over: the Timbers had thrashed Sporting Kansas City 6-0 on May 9 and drawn 2-2 at CF Montréal on May 13. It was the Timbers' final road match before the break, per the club, and they return home to face the San Jose Earthquakes on May 23. Miami hosts the Philadelphia Union on May 24 before the World Cup pause.

Housewarming

Every new house needs a housewarming party, and Miami sat through four winless games at Nu Stadium before throwing one. Fittingly, the guest of honor brought the gifts himself: a goal, an assist and nine shots. Portland just showed up, held the door open and watched the party start without them.

Stats from ESPN's match data. Postgame quotes as reported by MLSsoccer.com; match notes from Inter Miami CF (intermiamicf.com) and the Portland Timbers (timbers.com).