Messi nets four as Inter Miami make history with 7-1 rout of CF Montréal

The team erupted even without their head coach.

In Saturday's match, Lionel Messi scored four goals to lead Inter Miami to a resounding 7-1 victory over visiting CF Montréal. The scoreline not only set a new club record for the largest margin of victory, but also snapped the team's recent winless streak.

In the 40th minute of the first half, Messi opened the scoring with a deflected free kick. In the 52nd minute, he added another after breaking through the defense with his individual brilliance. Moments later, he turned provider for Luis Suárez, setting up his teammate to score. With seven minutes of regulation time remaining, Messi lifted a clever chip over the goalkeeper to complete his hat trick.

However, the show was not over yet.

In stoppage time, Messi once again stood over a free kick and curled his trademark strike into the top corner to make it 7-1.

This was the eighth time in Messi's illustrious career that he has scored four or more goals in a single match, and his first since joining Inter Miami. The previous occasion came in February 2020, when he achieved the feat while wearing Barcelona colors in a La Liga match against Eibar.

Thanks to his red-hot form, Messi has moved to the top of the MLS scoring chart. He has scored 18 goals in just 19 games, two ahead of FC Dallas's Petar Musa.

The emphatic victory was Inter Miami's first win in MLS since July 25, and also ended a five-match winless run across all competitions, including the Leagues Cup.

Notably, Inter Miami's interim head coach Guillermo Hoyos was suspended and could not be at the match. Christian 'Kily' González, announced this week as the permanent successor, has yet to take charge as he still awaits his work permit.

Under the guidance of assistant coach Rafael Pérez, Brazil international Casemiro scored his first goal since joining Inter Miami this summer early in the match. Another scorer was 18-year-old Alexander Shaw, who added a late goal in the 89th minute.

After this result, Inter Miami remain second in the Eastern Conference standings, just behind leaders Nashville SC.