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08/05 21:19 CDT Lionel Messi scores his first 2 goals since the World Cup as
Inter Miami beats San Luis 4-2
Lionel Messi scores his first 2 goals since the World Cup as Inter Miami beats
San Luis 4-2
By ALANIS THAMES
AP Sports Writer
MIAMI (AP) --- Lionel Messi scored his first two goals since the World Cup and
took the career scoring lead in the Leagues Cup as Inter Miami overcame an
early deficit to beat Atltico San Luis 4-2 on a rainy Wednesday night.
The match at Nu Stadium was delayed 30 minutes in the second half because of
lightning in the area.
Messi scored in the 11th and the 44th minutes. He has 14 goals in 12 Leagues
Cup matches --- one ahead of Los Angeles FC's Denis Bouanga for most in the
tournament's four-year history.
Telasco Segovia and defender Micael also scored, and Noah Allen had three
assists as Inter Miami extended its unbeaten streak to eight matches.
Messi returned to Miami's starting lineup in his second match since the World
Cup, where he led Argentina to its second straight final appearance before La
Albiceleste lost 1-0 to Spain. The 39-year-old played 37 minutes as a
substitute in a 2-2 draw with the Columbus Crew on Saturday.
After being held off the scoresheet against Columbus, it didn't take Messi long
to make an impact on Wednesday. He fired a long cross from Allen past Andrs
Snchez to equalize after David Rodrguez put San Luis ahead with a header four
minutes into the match. Messi finished from close range later in the first half
and assisted on Micael's header in stoppage time.
Rafa Llorente also scored for San Luis.
Messi led Miami to the Leagues Cup title in 2023 shortly after his arrival with
the club. Inter Miami reached the final again last year, losing 3-0 to Seattle
in a match that ended with a brawl involving Luis Surez. The veteran forward
appeared to spit toward a member of the Sounders' staff and grabbed at least
one Seattle player by the neck during the melee, resulting in a six-match
tournament suspension.
That means Surez, who has seven goals in the past four matches, was not
available Wednesday and will not play in this year's tournament.
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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
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