Messi Savors Miami’s Victory over Atlanta

Lionel Messi scored twice in Inter Miami's 4-0 victory over Atlanta United on Tuesday, maintaining his quick impact in the US and advancing his team to the Leagues Cup knockout rounds.

After coming off the bench and scoring the game-winning goal in the 94th minute of Friday's encounter against Cruz Azul of Mexico, the Argentine World Cup winner made his debut for his new squad.

In his first game against a Major League Soccer side, Messi was simply too much for Atlanta, and he developed a strong bond with Finnish winger Robert Taylor, who assisted on Miami's other two goals.

Miami tops their group in the Leagues Cup, a competition that includes all of the top clubs from the MLS and Liga MX in Mexico. With their new addition appearing established so fast, Miami will undoubtedly think they can win their first-ever title.

After receiving a pass over the top from his old Barcelona teammate Sergio Busquets, Messi lost no time in scoring, giving the home club the lead in the eighth minute.

Messi sprinted into the area, and even though his low shot hit the post, he scored on the rebound with a sidefoot.

The seven-times Ballon d'Or winner then doubled the advantage in the 22nd minute, the first of three goals that saw him combine with Finnish winger Robert Taylor.

Messi ran at the back-pedalling Atlanta defence before switching to Taylor who slid the ball back into the path of the 36-year-old who made no mistake.

Atlanta played a high-line and asked Argentine midfielder Santiago Sosa to man-mark his compatriot, a task which proved to be impossible.

Another Busquets ball over the top found Messi but the off-side flag was raised after he shot straight at Atlanta keeper Brad Guzan.

Miami made it 3-0, a minute before the interval, when Messi fed Benjamin Cremaschi, who cleverly flicked the ball to Taylor who defied the tight angle with a fierce blast.

Eight minutes after half-time, Atlanta were caught on the break when a corner was cleared to Messi, who ran from deep in his own half before feeding Taylor to his left who drilled in a low shot off the inside ofBusquets the far post.

The margin of victory allowed Miami's Argentine head coach Gerardo Martino to rest Busquets and Messi with the latter substituted in the 78th minute.

Messi's Argentina team-mate Thiago Almada had a chance for a consolation for Atlanta but his penalty was well saved by Miami keeper Drew Callender.

Taylor, who exploited perfectly the space created for him by Messi, deservedly received his own ovation as he left the field.

"Every time Leo has the ball we have a few players running in behind and that creates loads of space for everyone else," Taylor said.

"He can do everything on the ball. He can keep it in tight spaces, and he makes the right decision 100 percent of the time.

"Most of the time he'll find one of his team-mates. He brings so much quality to the team, so much. I mean, he's the best player in the world. This is what he does – he scores two goals, he scored last game, gets another assist. It's a dream come true to play with him," he said.