Lionel Messi assists Jordi Alba as Spaniard emulates Inter Miami teammate with sensational long-range goal

Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami sealed a 2-1 win vs Atlanta United in Game 1 of their MLS Eastern Conference quarterfinal playoff series, in Fort Lauderdale on Saturday. Luis Suarez opened the scoring in the second-minute, driving a low finish past Brad Guzan from close range after an excellent combination between Jordi Alba and Diego Gomez played him through.

Saba Lobjanidze levelled proceedings just before half-time in the 39th-minute, running onto Pedro Amador’s diagonal pass, and finishing past Drake Callender inside the far right post.

Then in the 60th-minute, with Atlanta dropping deep into their own penalty area, Messi passed to his left for Alba, who was outside the edge of the box. The former Barcelona defender hammered a long-range screamer to make it 2-1.

Here is the video of the goal:

Speaking after the match, Inter Miami head coach Tata Martino said, “It was a match where what I liked the most was the control we had on the field for almost the entire game. We didn’t make many mistakes that would allow the opponent to break out into space. We had five clear chances in the first half, and one of them came very close to the post. We were patient. I believe that if it weren’t for Brad (Guzan)’s performance, the match should have ended with a clear difference.”

During the playoff opener, there was a ‘Messi-cam’ focussed on the Argentine star, and his every move was livestreamed on MLS TikTok account for the match.

Messi finished the regular season with 20 goals and 16 assists in 19 matches, and in doing so he became Miami’s all-time leading goalscorer. He also broke the record for most assists in a single MLS game, with five assists, and also broke the record for most contributions in an MLS match with six in a 6-2 victory vs New York Red Bulls.