Messi nets four as Inter Miami rout Montreal 7-1 in MLS

Lionel Messi scored four goals as Inter Miami beat Montreal 7-1 in Major League Soccer on Saturday night, 30 August 2026, ending Miami's five-game winless run across all competitions.

Messi's haul was his first time scoring four in an MLS match and took his season total to 18, moving him to the top of the Golden Boot standings; it was also the ninth occasion in his professional career that he has scored at least four goals in a single game. The four-goal performance pushed him ahead of Dallas forward Petar Musa, who has 16 goals this season.

Inter Miami opened the scoring in the 20th minute when Casemiro headed home from a Telasco Segovia corner. Montreal levelled in the 37th minute as Fabian Herbers fired past Miami goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair after Noah Streit picked him out near the top of the box. Messi restored Miami's lead shortly before half-time with a free-kick bent just inside the near post before Montreal goalkeeper Thomas Gillier could react.

Messi added his second in the 52nd minute, weaving between three defenders to find the net — a goal the report called "arguably the pick of the bunch." Luis Suarez extended Miami's lead in the 80th minute on a counterattack, and Messi completed his hat-trick three minutes later in the 83rd.

Rookie Alexander Shaw scored in the 89th minute in just his third MLS appearance, and Messi then curled in another free-kick in the sixth minute of second-half stoppage time to finish the scoring. Messi recorded 4 goals and an assist as Inter Miami dominated Montreal 7-1.

The victory moved Inter Miami to 12-4-6 with 42 points, while Montreal's four-game unbeaten run in league play came to an emphatic end.

Inter Miami assistant coach Rafael Perez took charge of the match with Guillermo Hoyos watching from a stadium skybox; Hoyos was suspended after violating MLS' Late Kickoff Policy multiple times in recent matches. Hoyos is set to be replaced by Argentine Kily Gonzalez, who was hired this week but is still awaiting the necessary paperwork to join the team in the United States.

Petar Musa and Dallas face St. Louis City SC on Sunday.