Lionel Messi reached 923 career goals on Saturday, though his strike wasn’t enough to prevent Inter Miami’s 2-1 defeat to Toronto FC, extending the Herons’ winless streak in MLS to four matches.
The Florida team has only managed two points in its last four MLS games, a run compounded by their elimination in the first round of the Leagues Cup.
At NU Stadium in Miami, Toronto FC compounded the home side’s woes by building a two-goal lead in a matter of minutes during the second half.
After a scoreless first half, Josh Sargent broke the deadlock in the 59th minute.
Just three minutes later, Derrick Etienne struck again to make it 2-0, leaving Inter Miami with a difficult comeback to mount.
The result carried added weight given Toronto’s away form. The Canadian team had managed just one win in their nine away games this season.
Inter Miami reacted and pushed forward in search of a way back into the game, with Messi once again at the heart of the action.
The Argentine’s reward came in the 82nd minute.
Rodrigo De Paul found Messi with a through ball, and the Argentine captain finished with his left foot in a one-on-one with the goalkeeper to reduce the deficit to 2-1.
With this goal, Lionel Messi reached 923 career goals and also scored for the second consecutive match with Inter Miami.
The Argentine had previously scored against Philadelphia Union, his first goal since the passing of his father, Jorge Messi.
This time, however, his goal was not enough to change the outcome.
Inter Miami pressed hard in the final minutes, but couldn’t find a second goal and ended up suffering another home defeat.
Their last home win in MLS dates back to July 22, when they defeated the Chicago Fire 3-2.
With this result, Inter Miami sits in second place in the Eastern Conference with 39 points, while Toronto FC is tenth with 24 points and remains outside the playoff positions.
