Messi just can’t stop scoring and even by his standards, this was a pretty special goal
Lionel Messi just cannot stop scoring as he once again found the back of the net in the MLS Leagues Cup semi-final against Philadelphia Union.
Despite being one of the best teams in MLS, Philadelphia were no match for the former Paris Saint-Germain striker and his team, who emerged victorious with an emphatic 4-1 win, moving on to the final of the tournament where they’ll face Nashville at the weekend.
Goals from Josef Martinez, Messi, Jordi Alba and David Ruiz sealed the deal for the Florida-based club, but it was the Argentine who scored the pick of the punch with an incredible long-distance effort that has to be seen to be believed.
What was Lionel Messi’s goal like?
Messi has been in fantastic goalscoring form since joining Inter Miami this summer, scoring an incredible nine goals in six appearances for the side, but this was one of his best yet.
Picking the ball up inside his own half, the 36-year-old drove forward before letting loose from outside the area, with his strike sailing into the far right corner, and it’s impossible to get it any further into the corner. He gave the keeper absolutely no chance, and it’s just another example of the forward’s incredible skill, even as he’s on the wrong side of 35.
There’s just no keeping an effort like that out. Despite not having played a minute of actual Major League Soccer just yet, and being 13 goals behind the current leader, Messi is the bookies’ favourite to land the top scorer award in the league by the time it concludes, and considering his incredible form for Miami since joining last month, it’s pretty hard to argue.
He’s scored in every single one of his appearances for the club so far, who have also won every single game he’s featured in since his arrival. A stark contrast to the form they were suffering through shortly before he signed with the club, having won just one of their previous 10 matches before his debut.
It’s just an example of the impact that Messi has had on the club, and even at 36, his ability to change a game and take control is second-to-none. Any forward in the world would be thrilled with a goal like his against Philadelphia, and it only gets better at other angles.
Messi’s goal looks even better from other angles
If you weren’t already impressed enough by the strike the first time around, watching it from this angle should do the trick.
There’s just no keeping an effort like that out. Despite not having played a minute of actual Major League Soccer just yet, and being 13 goals behind the current leader, Messi is the bookies’ favourite to land the top scorer award in the league by the time it concludes, and considering his incredible form for Miami since joining last month, it’s pretty hard to argue.
He’s scored in every single one of his appearances for the club so far, who have also won every single game he’s featured in since his arrival. A stark contrast to the form they were suffering through shortly before he signed with the club, having won just one of their previous 10 matches before his debut.
It’s just an example of the impact that Messi has had on the club, and even at 36, his ability to change a game and take control is second-to-none. Any forward in the world would be thrilled with a goal like his against Philadelphia, and it only gets better at other angles.
Messi’s goal looks even better from other angles
If you weren’t already impressed enough by the strike the first time around, watching it from this angle should do the trick.
It’s that level of quality that gave Inter Miami the edge in the contest, with Philadelphia having the lion’s share of the chances, with 16 shots on goal, but failed to really make them count with just four hitting the target.
The Florida-based side were the exact opposite, though, looking dangerously clinical as they scored four goals from just five shots.
They now move on to the final of the MLS Leagues Cup and offer Messi a chance at his first piece of silverware with the team just a month into his tenure there
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