Maybe Lionel Messi hasn’t shared the field with the world’s most skilled players for over a year and four months, but for the Argentine magician, that has become irrelevant. Ever since winning the World Cup in Qatar and, according to much of the sports world, unofficially claiming the title of football’s GOAT, Messi practically has nothing left to prove. He’s now free to enjoy life and occasionally delight fans with brilliant moments, which he did last night by scoring twice in Inter Miami’s 3-2 away victory over Columbus. With this win, Inter mathematically secured the top spot in the Eastern Conference ahead of the playoffs, leaving the Ohio team in second place.The cross and the control by Lionel Messi for his goal! pic.twitter.com/Li00AxYXnH— Roy Nemer (@RoyNemer) October 3, 2024 Injuries, resting, saving himself for more important matches… All of this contributed to Messi’s absence from the pitch over the past two and a half months. But when he does appear, it’s a true spectacle for die-hard football fans. And last night, Messi first scored in the 45th minute to make it 1-0. He received a long pass on the edge of the opponent’s penalty area, controlled it beautifully, and started weaving through Columbus’ defense. The ball seemed glued to his feet, as it has so many times in his career, and the goalkeeper could only watch. Just a few minutes later, Messi showed the extraordinary precision of his mind, capable of calculating where the ball will end up when he launches it from over 20 meters out on a free kick. There was no saving Columbus’ goalkeeper, and Inter’s coach, Gerardo “Tata” Martino, watched in disbelief at what his countryman was doing. It was an entirely genuine reaction from a man who once coached Messi in both the national team and at Barcelona. He knows Messi’s immense talent inside and out, yet he still finds himself astonished by such moments of brilliance.Just Lionel Messi doing his things at Inter Miami. Something Cristiano Ronaldo can only dream ofThe GOATpic.twitter.com/75hZFP4hKA— 99 attempts (@Itismourinho) October 3, 2024 Columbus didn’t give up, cutting the lead to 2-1 with a goal from Uruguayan Diego Rossi early in the second half. But then Luis Suárez stepped up. The veteran took advantage of an amateurish mistake from Columbus’ goalkeeper, Patrick Schulte, who dropped the ball from his hands. It seemed like the match was decided, but then Inter’s defenders made careless errors, giving Columbus cheap opportunities for a full comeback. Cucho Hernández scored from the penalty spot to make it 3-2 in the 63rd minute, and the same player had a chance to level the score with another penalty 20 minutes later, but he couldn’t beat goalkeeper Drake Callender.UEFA EUROPA LEAGUE – MATCHDAY 2Thursday19:45: (1.85) Lazio (3.50) Nice (4.40)19:45: (3.00) Maccabi T.A. (3.40) Midtjylland (2.35)19:45: (2.15) Slavia Praha (3.45) Ajax (3.35)19:45: (2.15) Olympiakos (3.40) Braga (3.40)19:45: (1.75) Sociedad (3.50) Anderlecht (5.00)19:45: (8.00) Rigas (5.30) Galatasaray (1.35)19:45: (2.05) Qarabag (3.45) Malmo (3.60)19:45: (2.05) Hoffenheim (3.50) Dynamo Kyiv (3.50)19:45: (8.50) Ferencvaros (4.90) Tottenham (1.37)22:00: (2.80) Twente (3.40) Fenerbahce (2.50)22:00: (2.55) Rangers (3.35) Olympique Lyon (2.75)22:00: (1.75) Plzen (3.60) Ludogorets (4.90)22:00: (4.40) Elfsborg (3.60) Roma (1.82)22:00: (2.75) Besiktas (3.35) Eintr.Frankfurt (2.55)22:00: (1.73) Ath.Bilbao (3.60) AZ Alkmaar (5.10)22:00: (2.95) Porto (3.40) Man.Utd. (2.40)22:00: (1.65) PAOK (3.70) FCSB (5.60)22:00: (2.00) St.Gilloise (3.50) Bodo (3.70)***odds are subject to change***
