Lionel Messi produced another moment of brilliance as Inter Miami recovered from a goal down to defeat New England Revolution 2-1 in an entertaining MLS encounter at Gillette Stadium on Sunday night.
The Argentine captain played a decisive role in the comeback, providing the assist for Germán Berterame’s equaliser before scoring the winning goal in the 83rd minute to secure all three points for the visitors.
Dániel Gazdag had given New England the lead early in the second half, but Miami responded with two goals in the final 21 minutes to complete an impressive turnaround and move above their opponents into second place in the Eastern Conference.
Both sides struggled to find a breakthrough during a relatively balanced first half, although Miami created a promising opportunity in the 28th minute when Berterame tested goalkeeper Matt Turner with a left-footed effort. Turner reacted well to keep the ball out.
New England also threatened in the 37th minute when Peyton Miller delivered a dangerous pass towards Brooklyn Raines inside the penalty area. However, the midfielder failed to keep his effort down, sending the ball over the crossbar from a promising position.
The hosts went into the interval having enjoyed more of the attacking momentum, but neither side managed to turn their opportunities into goals.
The contest finally came to life eight minutes after the restart when New England broke the deadlock in the 53rd minute.
Miller produced an excellent run down the right flank, beating his marker before reaching the byline and cutting the ball back into the penalty area. Ilay Feingold cleverly redirected the delivery with a backheel, allowing Gazdag to arrive and fire a powerful right-footed finish past Dayne St. Clair.
Miami immediately faced the challenge of finding a response, and Rodrigo De Paul attempted to bring the visitors back into the contest with a long-range effort, although his strike failed to trouble Turner.
Messi then came close to equalising in the 65th minute when he created space inside the penalty area and forced Turner into an excellent diving save. Berterame reacted quickly to the rebound and attempted to turn it into the net, but Raines produced a crucial goal-line clearance to preserve New England’s advantage.
However, Miami’s pressure finally paid off four minutes later.
In the 69th minute, Telasco Segovia delivered a lofted ball into the penalty area towards Messi. The Argentine could not produce a conventional header towards goal, but managed to redirect the ball backwards with the back of his head into the path of Berterame.
The Mexican striker reacted brilliantly, powering a downward header beyond Turner to restore parity at 1-1 and give Miami renewed belief.
With the match approaching its closing stages, Messi took responsibility and produced the decisive moment in the 83rd minute.
The Argentine collected the ball outside the penalty area after a pass from Luis Suárez and began driving towards goal. Showing his trademark close control, he worked his way past several New England defenders before combining with Segovia, who helped keep the attacking move alive.
Messi then created enough space inside the penalty area to unleash a low left-footed finish into the bottom-right corner, leaving Turner with little chance of making a save.
The goal completed Miami’s comeback and took Messi’s league tally to 26 for the season, strengthening his position at the top of the MLS Golden Boot standings.
New England refused to surrender and appeared to have found a dramatic equaliser in the 87th minute when Ian Fray inadvertently turned the ball into his own net while attempting to deal with a delivery from Luca Langoni.
However, the celebrations were cut short after a VAR review established that Langoni was in an offside position during the attacking move. The goal was subsequently disallowed, allowing Miami to retain their 2-1 advantage.
The closing stages became increasingly tense, with Segovia receiving a yellow card in the 85th minute as Miami attempted to protect their lead.
Despite New England’s late pressure, the visitors held on to secure an important away victory and end their two-match winless run.
The result moved Inter Miami to 59 points, one ahead of New England, as the two sides continued their battle for second place in the Eastern Conference with one regular-season fixture remaining.
The victory also secured Miami qualification for the 2027 Concacaf Champions Cup, giving the club another reason to celebrate after an impressive comeback.
For Messi, the performance was another reminder of his influence, as he combined creativity and individual brilliance to turn a difficult away fixture into a memorable victory for Inter Miami.
