Inter Miami stormed past the New England Revolution with a dominant 4-1 victory on Saturday night at Chase Stadium.
Jordi Alba and Tadeo Allende scored twice in a standout performance, concluding with a postgame tribute to Sergio Busquets after he announced he will retire at the end of the season.
After a couple of quiet matches, Lionel Messi returned to top form. The Argentine playmaker opened the scoring in the 32nd minute, delivering a perfectly timed through ball to Allende after a clever turn, allowing him to finish from the right side.
Messi added another assist before halftime, capitalizing on a poor clearance from goalkeeper Matt Turner. He slipped past a defender and set up Alba for a simple close-range finish, extending Miami’s lead.
Javier Mascherano talks Sergio Busquets
IMAGO / Icon Sportswire
After the final whistle, the spotlight turned to Busquets as Inter Miami paid tribute to the veteran with a postgame ceremony. Javier Mascherano, who shared the pitch with Busquets at Barcelona, also praised the Spanish star for redefining the midfielder role.
“To learn how to play from Busi is difficult, because what he does is practically one of a kind,” Mascherano said (h/t FotMob). “It’s difficult to copy him. For this club, it’s been a privilege to have a player like Busquets.”
Busquets joined Inter Miami in July 2023, shortly after Lionel Messi’s arrival, and has won the 2023 Leagues Cup and the 2024 Supporters’ Shield with the Herons. He still has a chance to end his career with more silverware if Mascherano can guide the team through the MLS Cup Playoffs.
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Nonetheless, Inter Miami must finish the regular season before even thinking about the playoffs. Mascherano and his team will play its penultimate regular-season match on Oct. 11 at home against Atlanta United, which falls during FIFA’s international break.
Messi is expected to miss the game as he’ll be on international duty with Argentina, who face Venezuela a day earlier at Hard Rock Stadium.
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