Inter Miami CF (7W-2L-3D, 24 points) emphatic 6-2 victory over the New York Red Bulls tonight at Chase Stadium in a memorable game that saw the team score the most goals in a game in club history, in front of a club-record second consecutive home crowd. Another historic performance from Lionel Messi led the team to victory tonight, as our captain recorded a goal and five assists to make MLS history by becoming the first player to record five assists in a game and the first to contribute six goals in the game. game. Striker Luis Suárez’s first MLS hat-trick and second-half brace from substitute Matías Rojas – his first goal since Inter Miami – sealed the team’s dominant performance.
Lineup Notes
Inter Miami took the field at Chase Stadium with one change to the team’s starting line-up from last weekend’s road win over the New England Revolution. Drake Callender started in goal; Marcelo Weigandt, Tomás Avilés, Nicolás Freire and Franco Negri formed a four-man line at the back; Julian Gressel, Sergio Busquets and David Ruiz formed the trio in midfield; The captain Messi and Robert Taylor were flanking the striker Suárez in the attack.
Match Action
The slow start of the game gave little attacking opportunities for both teams. However, it was the visitors who broke through and New York took a 0-1 lead in the 30th minute with a goal by striker Dante Vanzeir.
At half-time, Inter Miami made a substitution as they looked to pose more of a threat in attack, with Rojas replacing Ruiz to make his Chase Stadium debut.
The substitution had an immediate impact on the game and Rojas scored Inter Miami’s equalizer minutes later. In the 48th minute, Messi controlled a long pass from Busquets on the right side of the pitch before finding Rojas in the middle of the pitch. The Paraguayan midfielder then took a touch to create space and leave two defenders behind before unleashing a long-range left-footed effort into the top-right corner to tie the game at 1-1. The goal was Rojas’ first for the club and his first in MLS, while the assists were Messi’s eighth on the team and league this season. With the assist, Messi became just the third player ever to score in each of his first eight MLS games of the season.
Just two minutes later, Inter Miami completed the comeback in the 50th minute. Intense pressure from Rojas caused the Red Bulls’ defense to turn and Suárez then picked up the loose ball before playing a pass to Messi inside the box. The Argentinian champion then sent the ball into the net with a first goal with his left foot to give the home team a 2-1 lead. The goal took Messi’s team and league lead to 10 goals, while the assist was Suárez’s fourth this regular season.
Inter Miami’s attacking display continued 12 minutes later, as Rojas secured the ball to extend the team’s lead to 3-1. A superb series of passes between Messi and Rojas ended with Messi threading an inch-perfect through ball for Rojas into the box, with the midfielder finishing off the game with a beautiful strike over the goalkeeper. The goal was Rojas’ second of the night and for the club, while the assist was Messi’s ninth of the regular season.
What came next was a championship goal from Suárez to seal victory. First, in the 69th minute, he buried a pass from Messi from the left side with a shot to the far post and the score was 4-1. The goal took Suarez’s tally to eight this regular season, while Messi’s assist was his tenth this regular season. With the assist, Messi made club history as he became the first Inter Miami player to score 10 goals and 10 assists in an MLS regular season.
Six minutes later, Suárez scored again and increased the home team’s lead to 5-1. A superb combination of passes between Messi and Suárez left the Uruguayan marksman inside the box, where he calmly finished through the keeper’s legs for his second goal of the night in the 75th minute. The goal was Suárez’s ninth this regular season, while the assist was Messi’s 11th.
Fast forward another six minutes and Suárez secured his club’s first hat-trick to make it 6-1 in the 81st minute. Messi passed the ball back to Suárez inside the box for the striker to score his third goal of the game. The goal took Suárez’s tally to 10 this regular season, while the assist was Messi’s fifth of the game and 12th of the regular season. Messi further made MLS history with the assist as he became the first player to record five assists in a game – breaking the MLS record previously shared by manager and sporting director Chris Henderson – and the first to score six goals in a game . . In total, Messi has scored 10 goals and 12 assists for a total of 22 goals in just eight games this regular season.
In the seventh minute of stoppage time, the Red Bulls scored their second goal of the game with a penalty from midfielder Emil Forsberg.
The score then remained unchanged as Inter Miami secured all three points at Chase Stadium with a historic 6-2 win, keeping the team at the top of the Supporters’ Shield.
Reaction after the game
“The truth is that everyone had a huge impact on the game except Leo [Mess] did something historic which is five assists and a goal in a league game. I can’t forget Luis [Suárez’s] three goals, and the two from Matías [Rojas]…I believe it was a matter of enlivening. I think in the second half there was a fundamental thing which was the equaliser, it gave us composure and immediate pressure for the second goal. That was basically it, the fact that we survived,” said head coach Gerardo ‘Tata’ Martino.
Next game
Inter Miami will next hit the road to visit CF Montréal at Stade Saputo for the team’s upcoming regular season matchup on Saturday, May 11 at 7:30 PM ET.
Nurse Appreciation Night presented by Baptist Health
In anticipation of National Nurses Week, which runs May 6-12, Inter Miami CF and Baptist Health teamed up to recognize nurses for their service, dedication to caring for others and improving the health of patients in the South Florida community and beyond home. Tonight, select nurses from Baptist Health joined the club on the field, before the game, for a ceremonial celebration of the IMCF logo during the national anthem and player parade.
In addition, the Baptist Health Community Team activated a pre-game Baptist Health Fan Zone, with a variety of exciting activities/games and free gifts for fans.
Statistics
Property:
MIA – 57%
NYRB – 43%
shot:
MIA – 16
NYRB – 15
Saves:
MIA – 3
NYRB – 1
Angle:
MIA – 3
NYRB – 3
Errors:
MIA – 8
NYRB – 11
