Spain defeats Argentina in World Cup Final
USAT’s Jon Arnold breaks down the World Cup Final, where Spain defeated Argentina 1-0.
Sports Seriously
There was Messi magic in Miami.
Lionel Messi scored a haul in Inter Miami CF’s 7-1 throttling of CF Montréal on Saturday, Aug. 29 at Nu Stadium. That’s not one goal, not two goals, not even three goals, but four goals in the MLS match. The Argentinian superstar now leads the league with 18 goals this season.
The first goal came in the 40th minute when Messi was given a free kick. The 39-year-old lined up at the right of the penalty box and sent the ball flying in an arc where it bounced past goalkeeper Thomas Gillier and into the right corner of the net. The goal gave Inter Miami a 2-1 lead.
Messi, whose father passed away on Aug. 8, struck again shortly after halftime. In the 52nd minute, the captain dazzlingly dribbled through a series of defenders right up to the goal area and struck the ball into the net. The goal was his 16th of the 2026 MLS season so far, which tied him at the top with Petar Musa of FC Dallas.
Messi held up a fist in celebration with the score 3-1.
For a hat trick, Messi scored a goal in the 83rd minute. He received a pass against Dawid Bugaj and kicked the ball forward as Gillier slid in an attempt to stop him. The ball bounced into the net and Messi tumbled forward. He popped up and Alexander Shaw and Germán Berterame embraced him in a hug with the lead extended to 5-1.
And that wasn’t enough for the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner. Messi put the cherry on top of the domination in stoppage time by drilling another free kick that he sent sailing above the defenders. That sealed the deal and Inter Miami won 7-1.
A number of players have scored four goals in an MLS game, but Clint Mathis holds the record from when he scored five goals back in 2000 during a match for the MetroStars (who are now the New York Red Bulls) in a 6-4 win over the Dallas Burn (now FC Dallas).
Inter Miami was also one goal away from tying the record for most goals scored by a side in an MLS match. The Los Angeles Galaxy hold the league record from when they scored eight goals in an 8-1 win, also over the Burn, back in 1998.
After missing a match after his father passed away, Messi returned to score a goal against the Philadelphia Union in a 2-2 draw.
Messi is continuing momentum from a historic World Cup during which Argentina finished second this summer. He briefly became the all-time World Cup scorer after finishing with 21 goals overall and eight this summer. He had a hat trick in the group play win over Algeria. He was passed by Kylian Mbappé, who scored 10 times to reach a career total of 22 World Cup goals and win his second straight Golden Boot.