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Inter Miami beat Atlanta United 3-1 away on Saturday, October 17, 2026, as Lionel Messi scored twice in four second-half minutes and helped create the opening goal. Germán Berterame put Miami ahead just before half-time, before Messi’s goals in the 56th and 60th minutes gave the visitors a three-goal cushion. Atlanta pulled one back through a late penalty, but Miami secured its third consecutive regular-season victory.
The match remained goalless until the final minute of the first half. Luis Suárez delivered the ball into the area and Berterame headed home to give Miami the lead. Messi was involved earlier in the move, with the play earning him a secondary assist in the club’s account of the goal.
The goal was Berterame’s ninth of the regular season, according to the Associated Press match report. Suárez’s contribution also took his assist tally higher, underlining the connection among Miami’s attacking players as the regular season approaches its decisive stage.
Messi doubled the advantage in the 56th minute after combining with Berterame and moving into space on the left side of the penalty area before finishing with his left foot. Four minutes later, Suárez played a pass into Messi’s path. Messi accelerated beyond the defence and finished to make it 3-0.
The goals were Messi’s 24th and 25th of the league campaign, leaving him at the top of the scoring chart at the time of the match. Berterame assisted on the first Messi goal, while Suárez supplied the pass for the second, according to Inter Miami’s official recap.
Atlanta avoided a shutout in the 89th minute when Fafà Picault converted a penalty. The late goal reduced the margin, but the home side could not find another breakthrough before the final whistle.
Messi’s assist on Berterame’s opener took him to 15 for the season, tying him with Los Angeles FC’s Son Heung-min at the top of the league assists standings in the Associated Press report. The milestone was also historic: Messi became the first player in MLS history to record at least 15 assists in three consecutive seasons.
The same report noted that Messi and Josef Martínez are the only players in league history to score at least 25 goals in a regular season on two occasions. Messi won the MLS Golden Boot last season with 29 goals. At the time of this match, he had 40 total goal contributions and four regular-season matches remaining, leaving him nine short of Carlos Vela’s league record of 49, set in 2019.
The win extended Miami’s winning run to three matches and gave the side another positive result as the regular season moved towards the playoffs. The team’s attack produced all three goals through Berterame and Messi, with Suárez involved in the scoring moves.
Inter Miami’s official match report listed possession at 54.1% for Miami and 45.9% for Atlanta. Atlanta recorded 21 shots to Miami’s seven, while both goalkeepers made two saves. Those figures show that the scoreline did not come from Miami dominating shot volume; its finishing proved more decisive.
For football followers in India, the match is another example of how a team can turn key moments and coordinated attacking combinations into a result even when the opponent attempts more shots. Messi’s record-setting assist sequence and pursuit of the league’s goal-contribution mark are storylines to watch as Miami completes its remaining regular-season fixtures.
This article is based on Inter Miami CF’s official match recap and the Associated Press report carried by FOX Sports. The Hindu link supplied for this story has a matching report headline, but the page could not be accessed directly during verification.
