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Messi hits another hattrick as Miami break MLS points record / Photo: © AFP
Messi hits another hattrick as Miami break MLS points record
Lionel Messi scored his second hat-trick of the week and Luis Suarez scored twice as Inter Miami beat the New England Revolution 6-2 and set a new regular season points record in MLS.
Miami's win, in their final game of the regular season, took them to 74 points - one more than the previous record, set by New England in 2021.
Inter had already secured the Supporters' Shield for the best record in the regular season and are clear favourites in the MLS Cup playoffs which start next week.
Miami had trailed 2-0 before Suarez scored twice before half-time to send Gerardo Martino's team in level at the interval.
Messi, who had scored a hat-trick for Argentina against Bolivia on Tuesday, came off the bench in the 58th minute and immediately helped put the team ahead finding Jordi Alba who set up Benjamin Cremaschi for a tap-in.
New England thought they had drawn level with a goal from striker Bobby Wood but the effort was disallowed for handball following a VAR review.
Messi then made it 4-2 collecting a back-heeled pass from Suarez before brilliantly blasting into the far bottom corner.
The Argentina was on target again when he latched on to a superb pass from Jordi Alba and made no mistake and then he completed his hat-trick in the 89th minute when he met a volleyed cross from Suarez with a precise first time finish.
D.Parker--SFF
