Lionel Messi was at his imperious best Saturday night at Nu Stadium, scoring four times and setting up another as Inter Miami dismantled CF Montreal 7-1 in what ESPN reports is a record win for the club. The result ended a winless streak for the second-placed Eastern Conference side, according to the Daily Star, and Messi’s tally puts him at the top of the MLS Golden Boot standings, per Yahoo Sports. CF Montreal, under interim coach Philippe Eullaffroy, were competitive for barely 40 minutes before the floodgates opened.
Key Moments
- 20′, Casemiro opened the scoring, finishing from a Telasco Segovia pass to give Inter Miami the lead.
- 37′, Fabian Herbers leveled for Montreal, converting after Noah Streit found him in the box.
- 40′, Luca Petrasso put the ball into his own net to hand Miami a 2-1 lead heading into half-time.
- 52′, Messi broke clear of the Montreal defense to restore a two-goal cushion early in the second half.
- 80′, Luis Suarez extended the lead to four, tapping in from a Messi assist to put the game well beyond Montreal.
- 83′, Messi added his third of the night, this time set up by Rodrigo De Paul, making it 5-1.
- 89′, Substitute Alexander Shaw scored to make it 6-1, capitalizing on Montreal’s depleted defensive shape.
- 90′, Messi completed his fourth goal of the night in stoppage time, rounding off a comprehensive team performance.
Tactical Breakdown
Inter Miami controlled this match from the moment they went ahead, finishing with 57% possession, 572 total passes at a 91% accuracy rate, and 11 shots on target from 20 total attempts. Their xG of 3.03 tells only part of the story: they were relentless in transition and clinical on every chance that mattered. The front line of Messi, Luis Suarez, and German Berterame stretched Montreal’s backline consistently, creating overloads that the visitors never solved.
The turning point came at the 40th minute. Montreal had briefly threatened parity, with Herbers scoring just two minutes after picking up a yellow card, but Luca Petrasso’s own goal immediately put Miami back in front. Montreal’s interim bench responded at the hour mark with a triple change, bringing on Daniel Pereira, Dante Sealy, and Alexis Sanchez, but the pattern of play did not change. Miami’s own substitution at 76 minutes introduced Alexander Shaw, who scored the sixth and made his 21 minutes count.
For CF Montreal, the numbers are stark. An xG of 0.86, five shots on target, and a goalkeeper who made five saves to prevent an even heavier defeat tell the story of a side outclassed in every department. Their defensive unit, particularly Brayan Vera and Dawid Bugaj, was exposed repeatedly in behind, and the own goal from Petrasso summed up an evening where nothing went right for Eullaffroy’s side.
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Verdict
Inter Miami sit second in the Eastern Conference on 42 points, 10 behind leaders Nashville SC, and this dominant seven-goal performance snaps the run of inconsistent form to give them a comfortable cushion over the chasing pack. For CF Montreal, still in 14th on 21 points, the road only gets harder.