Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez both scored twice to help Inter Miami beat Montreal 4-2 in their MLS match on Wednesday.
Messi got the first goal in the 27th minute and later assisted Suarez’s goal in the 68th minute, giving Miami a 2-0 lead. Suarez scored again just three minutes later, making it 3-0.
Montreal’s Dante Sealy scored in the 74th minute, but Messi answered with his second goal in the 87th minute. Victor Loturi scored for Montreal in stoppage time, but it was too late to make a difference.
With this win, Inter Miami moved up to sixth place in the Eastern Conference, with 7 wins and 5 draws from 15 games. Montreal, struggling this season, remains near the bottom with just 1 win, 10 losses, and 5 draws.
Inter Miami had a tough run recently, with two losses and two draws in their last four games.
Suarez said, “We had to take responsibility for not doing well. We need to fix things to get our confidence back.” He also said that this win was very important for the team and that they must keep building confidence with wins like this.
Coach Javier Mascherano was worried about injuries to defenders Gonzalo Lujan, Tomas Aviles, and Jordi Alba. He said, “We needed to stop the bad streak, and I’m happy we did.” However, he added, “The win is a bit spoiled because Gonzalo, Jordi, and Toto got hurt.”
Mascherano explained that Gonzalo and Jordi suffered muscle injuries, and more tests will be done to see how serious they are. As for Toto (Aviles), he had an ankle injury after being stepped on. The coach said he maybe could have continued playing, and he wanted to.
In other matches, league leaders Philadelphia Union beat Toronto 2-1. Norway’s Ola Brynhildsen scored for Toronto in the 75th minute, but Philadelphia made a strong comeback. Nathan Harriel scored the equalizer in the 86th minute, and Germany’s Kai Wagner got the winning goal in stoppage time.
Philadelphia now leads the league with a 10-3-3 record and 33 points. The teams close behind couldn’t win their games. Second-place Cincinnati drew 3-3 with Dallas, and third-place Nashville drew 2-2 with Columbus, who sit in fourth place.