Messi scores twice as Inter Miami beats Atletico de San Luis 4-2 in Leagues Cup

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 Atletico de San Luis 4-2.

The match at Nu Stadium on a rainy Wednesday night was delayed 30 minutes in the second half due to 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 their 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 Andres Sanchez to equalise after David Rodriguez 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 to 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 Suarez.

The veteran forward appeared to spit towards 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 Suarez, who has seven goals in the past four matches, was not available on Wednesday and will not play in this year’s tournament.