Half of Hollywood watches Messi, Inter Miami crush LAFC

Messi now has 11 goals and eight assists in just 11 games with the Herons

Of all of the stars at BMO Stadium on Sunday night, Lionel Messi unsurprisingly shined the brightest.

Messi and Inter Miami rolled past LAFC 3-1, in a game that saw some of the biggest names in Hollywood watch the continuation of Miami’s remarkable turnaround.

The likes of Selena Gomez, Prince Harry, Owen Wilson, Edward Norton, and Leonardo DiCaprio (and lots more!) witnessed what fans in South Florida and all over the country have seen in the last six weeks: Messi running the show.

Messi grabbed two assists as Inter Miami defeated the defending champions in a result that kept their playoff dreams very much alive. Facundo Farías opened the scoring 14 minutes in before Messi assisted Jordi Alba and Leo Campana in the second half.

After leading Inter Miami to a Leagues Cup title and the U.S. Open Cup final, Messi said after the game that he had his sights set on the biggest prize MLS has to offer.

“The group is growing more. I’ve been saying it since the beginning of all of this, we were lucky to get in a tournament and get to a final,” Messi told MLS Season Pass.

“Now, we’re going to look to hit the objective of being among the best eight to try and win the league. This is the way. We continue growing and obviously winning provides a lot of confidence.”

Even with Miami still one place off the bottom of the Eastern Conference and eight points from a playoff spot, who would want to bet against him?

Farías grabbed the opener with a tremendous improvised sliding finish, before Messi provided a pair of assists in the second half to put the game away. LAFC’s Ryan Hollingshead grabbed a late consolation in the 90th minute.

Inter Miami has now gone 11 games unbeaten since Messi’s arrival, with the Argentine tallying an incredible 11 goals and eight assists in that timespan.

LAFC defender Giorgio Chiellini was fully impressed by Sunday night’s opponent — and he said it’s not just Messi, Alba and Sergio Busquets who are making Inter Miami such a force right now.

“It’s not just about the three guys from Barcelona. They built a really good team,” Chiellini said. “This team is the best by far that I have faced in the MLS, to be honest. By far.”

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