In a Major League Soccer (MLS) regular season match, Inter Miami defeated Atlanta United away with a score of 3:1. The main hero of the encounter was the Argentine forward Lionel Messi, who scored two goals and thereby secured his team's advantage. The victory allowed Inter Miami to strengthen its position in the upper part of the Eastern Conference standings, while Atlanta continues its fight to climb out of the bottom half.

Match Flow: From Berterame's Goal to Messi's Brace

The first half ended in favor of the hosts: in the 45th minute, Javier Berterame opened the scoring, putting Atlanta United ahead. The turning point came in the second half — in the 56th and 60th minutes, Lionel Messi hit the opponent's net twice, completely turning the tide of the match and increasing the guests' lead. The final chord in the match was set by the hosts: in the 89th minute, Felipe Pico converted a penalty and pulled one back, though the score remained unchanged until the end of the match.

Statistics: Hosts Lead in Shots, Guests in Accuracy

By aggregate indicators, the match turned out to be contradictory. Atlanta United had a clear advantage in the number of shots — 15 against 6 for Inter Miami, but in shots on target, the guests came out ahead with a score of 5:3. Inter Miami led in ball possession — 59% against 41%. In the passing game, the guests looked more convincing: 554 passes with 89% accuracy, whereas the hosts completed 413 passes with 88% accuracy. According to the source, both assists for Messi's goals were provided by Luis Suárez.

Messi's Personal Streak

The brace in this match allowed Messi to extend his scoring streak to 12 consecutive games. As of the current moment in the season, the Argentine has 25 goals and 15 assists in 27 tournament matches, making him one of the league's key goalscorers.

Standings and Next Matches

After 30 rounds, Inter Miami occupies second place in the Eastern Conference with 55 points, while Atlanta United is located on the 14th line with 30 points. Atlanta's Russian midfielder Aleksey Miranchuk came in the starting lineup and spent the entire match on the field, though he did not record any goal contributions. In the next round, Inter Miami will play away against the New York Red Bulls on the night of October 25 Moscow time, while Atlanta will host Chicago.