Lionel Messi scored twice in four minutes as Inter Miami beat Atlanta United 3-1 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on October 17 local time.
VnExpress reported that the Argentina forward reached 25 MLS goals for the season. Miami secured a third consecutive win under Cristian Gonzalez and strengthened their hold on second place in the Eastern Conference.
Berterame breaks the deadlock
Miami found limited space during much of the first half but went ahead in the 45th minute.
Messi headed the ball towards Luis Suarez on the right side of the area. Suarez held off a defender and delivered towards the far post, where German Berterame headed past goalkeeper Hoyos.
The move gave Miami a narrow advantage at the interval and involved all three forwards who would shape the second-half scoring.
Messi supplies the decisive finishes
In the 56th minute, Messi moved infield from the right and exchanged passes with Berterame near the area. He beat a defender and finished left-footed through Hoyos's legs.
Four minutes later, Suarez released Messi with an outside-of-the-foot pass from Miami's half. Messi advanced towards goal, shifted his balance to unsettle the defence and placed another left-footed shot into the lower corner.
Fabrice Picault pulled a goal back for Atlanta from the penalty spot in the 89th minute, but the hosts could not threaten the outcome.
Miami had already secured a play-off place. Their next match is away to New York Red Bulls on October 24, with preserving their second-place position the immediate league objective.
The two goals gave Messi a six-goal advantage over his nearest challenger in the scoring figures reported after the game.