Lionel Messi scores 11-minute hat-trick and sends internet into a frenzy – Watch

An elated Lionel Messi scored his second hat trick of the week and Luis Suarez scored twice as Inter Miami defeated the New England Revolution 6-2, surpassing the MLS regular season points record. Miami's win in the final game of the regular season brought them to 74 points – one more than the previous record set by New England in 2021. Messi, who came off the bench in the 58th minute and led the late flurry of goals, has now scored 20 goals in 19 MLS games, while his former Barcelona teammate Suarez also scored 20 goals in 27 games.

The challenge of breaking the record added some spice to the final game of the regular season, as Inter had already secured the Supporters' Shield for the best regular season record and are in the MLS Cup playoffs, which begin next week , profiled as a clear favorite.

¡Messi aplastante!pic.twitter.com/X1lLki6t8B

— MLS Español (@MLSes) October 19, 2024

Miami had trailed 2-0 before Suarez scored twice before halftime and brought Gerardo Martino's team level at the break.

Goals from Argentine Luca Langoni and Colombian Dylan Borrero in the 34th minute had the home crowd cheering Messi's arrival from the bench, but it was Uruguayan Suarez who initiated the comeback.

A confident left-footed shot from the former Liverpool and Barcelona striker equalized after good work from David Martinez.

Suarez then equalized with a beautiful solo finish, creating space and switching to his right foot before driving the ball home.

Messi, who scored a hat-trick for Argentina against Bolivia on Tuesday, came on as a substitute in the 58th minute and immediately helped put the team ahead by finding Jordi Alba, who set up Benjamin Cremaschi to come on.

New England thought they had drawn level with a goal from striker Bobby Wood, but the attempt was disallowed after a VAR review for handball.

Messi then made it 4-2 by intercepting a backheel pass from Suarez and then brilliantly firing into the far bottom corner.

The Argentine was on target again when he picked up a great pass from Jordi Alba and made no mistake. He then completed his hat-trick in the 89th minute when he met a volleyed cross from Suarez with a precise first-time finish.

Messi scored three goals in 11 minutes and is now looking back to his best after his two-month injury layoff following the Copa America.

“After the serious injury, we had to be very careful with his recovery and reintegration into the team, and both the national team and we here approached this issue very carefully,” Martino said.

“I feel like we have him in an ideal situation to tackle the most important part of the year,” the Argentine added.

Martino said that while Miami has to correct some of its mistakes, the team enters the playoffs on a high note after breaking the points record.

“It’s another confidence boost for the team. These 74 points were neither planned nor a goal at the beginning of the season, but when they were in front of us we tried to achieve them,” he said.

At the post-match celebration of the Supporters' Shield success, the club's co-owners David Beckham and Jorge Mas were joined by FIFA President Gianni Infantino, who announced that the Shield had secured the team a place in the 2025 Club World Cup .

In the final round of the MLS regular season, Montreal secured a playoff spot with a 2-0 victory over New York City.

The win secured eighth place in the Eastern Conference and the Canadian team will play ninth-seeded Atlanta United in the wild-card round on Tuesday for a chance to play Miami in the first round.

Atlanta secured the final spot in the East with a 2-1 win at Orlando City.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)