Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi each finished with two goals and an assist to lead host Inter Miami to a 4-2 victory over Montreal on Wednesday night in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Inter Miami (7-3-5, 26 points) secured a win for only the second time in its past nine matches across all competitions. It also snapped a four-match winless streak in league play to move up to sixth in the Eastern Conference.
Last-place Montreal (1-10-5, 8 points) lost for the second time in its past three matches.
Suarez had not scored since Miami’s last victory on May 3rd and had only two goals in MLS matches this season. He doubled that total with back-to-back tallies in the 68th and 71st minutes, which proved key for Miami to secure a much-needed points.
Suarez’s first goal was set up by a brilliant play by Messi, who controlled possession near the end line and drew a defender before looping a ball to a wide open Suarez in front of the goal.
Suarez comfortably fired a shot past Montreal goalkeeper Jonathan Sirois.
Three minutes later, Suarez came racing in and intercepted a ball that was controlled poorly by Montreal’s George Campbell, and fired another shot past Sirois to give Inter Miami a 3-0 edge.
Montreal’s Dante Sealy ruined Miami’s clean sheet when he tapped a ball home past Inter Miami keeper Oscar Ustari in the 74th minute off a feed from Caden Clark. It was Sealy’s second goal of the season.
But Messi ended Montreal’s slim hopes of a comeback when he fired a close range shot into the back of the net off a precise cross from Suarez in the 87th minute.
Messi delivered his first goal in the 27th minute when Sergio Busquets dropped the ball to him near the box. The World Cup winner worked the ball to the top of the box and fired a long distance shot past Sirois.
Sealy earned an assist, along with Fernando Alvarez on Montreal’s second goal by Victor Loturi, which came in the second minute of stoppage time.
Inter Miami’s victory was costly as a squad already playing without midfielder Yannick Bright, had three starters — Jordi Alba, Gonzalo Lujan and Tomas Aviles — all leave the game in the first half due to injuries.
Information from Field Level Media was used in this recap.
