Inter Miami CF Soars Past CF Montréal 4-1 in Dominant MLS Return Performance
Lionel Messi netted a brace and provided an assist on Saturday as Inter Miami CF made a triumphant return to MLS regular season play, securing a commanding 4–1 victory against CF Montréal.
Despite the match starting poorly for Messi with one of his most costly turnovers in MLS, which allowed Montréal's Prince Owusu to find the net just two minutes in, Messi and the Herons quickly regrouped and responded.
While manager Javier Mascherano's team needed time to find their rhythm in the game, they managed to equalize in the 33rd minute when Messi delivered a perfect pass to Tadeo Allende at the edge of the penalty area, with Allende subsequently beating keeper Jonathan Sirois from long range to bring the score level.
Messi then added his name to the scoresheet shortly thereafter, weaving through multiple Montréal defenders in a brilliant solo effort reminiscent of his legendary Barcelona days. He completed his double in the 62nd minute with another spectacular run covering nearly half the field, this coming after Telasco Segovia had extended the lead to 3–1 at the 60-minute mark.
Though the evening didn't begin as Miami had envisioned, the conclusion provided plenty of satisfaction as they climbed the MLS standings while maintaining up to four matches in hand over their competitors.
Below are the individual player assessments from Saturday's encounter in Montréal
CF Montréal Player Ratings vs. Inter Miami (4-4-2)
Player Ratings Provided by FotMob
Players Ratings | Ratings (Out of 10) |
|---|---|
GK: Jonathan Sirois | 6.0 |
LB: Luca Petrasso | 4.8 |
CB: Fernando Alvarez | 5.5 |
CB: Brandan Craig | 5.4 |
RB: Dawid Bugaj | 5.7 |
LM: Tom Pearce | 6.4 |
CM: Victor Loturi | 7.1 |
CM: Samuel Piette | 6.5 |
RM: Dante Sealy | 7.2 |
ST: Caden Clark | 6.5 |
ST: Price Owusu | 8.2 |
SUB: George Campbell (46' for Piette) | 6.2 |
SUB: Bryce Duke (69' for Sealy) | 6.6 |
SUB: Aleksandr Guboglo (69' for Pearce) | 6.4 |
SUB: Gennadiy Synchuk (80' for Clark) | 6.7 |
SUB: Sunisu Ibrahim (85' for Owusu) | N/A |
Inter Miami Player Ratings vs. CF Montréal (4-4-2)
Player Ratings Provided by FotMob
Players | Ratings (Out of 10) |
|---|---|
GK: Oscar Ustari | 7.3 |
LB: Jordi Alba | 7.2 |
CB: Maxi Falcón | 6.5 |
CB: Tomas Aviles | 7.1 |
RB: Marcelo Weigandt | 7.3 |
LM: Telasco Segovia | 8.0 |
CM: Sergio Busquets | 7.4 |
CM: Benjamin Cremaschi | 6.8 |
RM: Tadeo Allende | 8.5 |
ST: Luis Suárez | 8.7 |
ST: Lionel Messi | 9.3 |
SUB: Baltasar Rodriguez (72' for Segovia) | 6.3 |
SUB: Federico Redondo (72' for Cremaschi) | 6.1 |
SUB: Hector Martínez (72' for Aviles) | 6.0 |
SUB: Fafa Picault (83' for Allende) | N/A |
SUB: Ryan Sailer (87' for Falcón) | N/A |