Argentine star Lionel Messi led his team, Inter Miami, to a sweeping victory over DC United 4-0, on Saturday, in the American Football League, by scoring two goals in his first victory since playing his international retirement match with his country’s national team.
Only 4 days after scoring a goal in his last match for the Albiceleste jersey during the victory over Benin, the 39-year-old South American star scored in the 47th and 60th minutes, leading defending champion Miami to achieve only its second victory in the last 11 matches he played in the league.
Uruguayan Luis Suarez gave the “Hirones” team the advantage by scoring two goals in the first half, raising the team’s score to 49 points from 13 victories, 5 defeats and 10 draws, and advancing from third to second place in the Eastern Region.
Messi hopes that Miami will become the first team to win the American League title in two multiple seasons since the Los Angeles Galaxy in the 2011 and 2012 seasons.
Messi tops the list of players with the most scoring contributions in the league, with 23 goals, in addition to 13 assists, and he is seeking to win the best player award in the league for the third season in a row.
Suarez opened the scoring in the third minute, when he fired a shot with his left foot from the center of the penalty area into the upper left corner of the goal.
The former Barcelona and Liverpool star added his second goal in the 39th minute, his 16th goal this season, after receiving an assist from German Germán Bertrami, who also made the first goal.
Messi scored Miami's third goal with a left shot after a pass from Suarez, before going past three defenders and adding another goal 13 minutes later, as the hosts confirmed their superiority until the end.
In other matches, Scottish striker Lewis Morgan and American Djordje Mihajlovic scored two goals in stoppage time of the second half, leading Toronto to a 2-1 home victory over Montreal.
Toronto ended a series of 3 consecutive defeats, moving just one point closer to one of the playoff positions in the Eastern Conference.
In Chicago, Swiss striker Marin Haile Selassie scored a goal in the 87th minute to give Chicago Fire, who completed the match with 10 players, a 2-1 victory over New York City.
Real Madrid's Portuguese coach, Jose Mourinho, missed the press conference on Saturday evening, after the victory over Villarreal in the Spanish Football League, in protest against the red card received by Brazilian Vinicius Junior, according to what the club confirmed to Agence France-Presse.
Vinicius, who entered the second half after sitting on the bench for the first time this season, thought he had scored a goal just before he was sent off for pulling the hair of Canadian Nathan Saliba at the beginning of the attack (71). He may be suspended for several matches.
The Portuguese coach, angry at this decision, canceled his press conference, and did not go to the microphone of the official broadcasters of the Spanish League, even though this is considered one of his obligations after every match.
The Real Madrid coach is known to be accustomed to such media movements, and he exposes himself to disciplinary punishment from the Spanish League and a large financial fine due to his breach of his obligations.
This incident is reminiscent of what happened before the 2025 King's Cup final, when Real Madrid decided to boycott protocol media activities in protest against the appointment of a referee who had denounced the pressure exerted by Real Madrid TV.
On the other hand, on Sunday morning, Vinicius posted a brief message of apology via his Instagram account, in which he said: “The joys continue... I apologize to my team and the fans.”
Barcelona coach Hansi Flick expressed his happiness with the 3-0 victory over Getafe, ensuring that the Catalan team remained at the top of the Spanish League, achieving the full mark with eight victories in eight matches.
Flick also praised his team's performance in the first test after the three-week international break.
The German coach said on the DAZN platform after the match that took place on Saturday evening, “Scoring an early goal was important for many considerations, such as returning from a three-week hiatus and against a defensively strong team like Getafe, so I am happy with this win, and controlling the ball and the opponent well.”
Hansi Flick added in the press conference after the match, “Creating opportunities against a team like Getafe is not easy.”
He stressed, "Maintaining the motivation of all players is also important, because each position on the team includes several distinguished players, and this is the best thing for the team, and I admire that, because victories are achieved through collective effort and do not depend on one player or coach."
Flick went on to praise Englishman Anthony Gordon, who scored his first goal for Barcelona, saying, "I am very happy with him, because he scored a goal, gained confidence with the England national team, and is performing well thanks to his speed and skills, creating opportunities, and putting pressure on competitors."
Regarding Gabriel Jesus, who scored the second goal against Getafe, the Barcelona coach continued, “He is different from Rafinha, but I am happy with his performance.”
The Catalan team's coach concluded his statements, "Preparing for the next match against Galatasaray in Turkey is the most important. We want to write history, but what is most important is the team's commitment," in response to Barca's quest to achieve the best start in its history in the league championship.
