FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – Lionel Messi scored a spectacular late winner as Inter Miami came from behind to defeat the New England Revolution 2-1 at Gillette Stadium on Sunday night. The victory lifted Miami into second place in the MLS Eastern Conference and secured the club a place in the 2027 Concacaf Champions Cup. Neither team managed to score in the first half despite creating several promising opportunities.
New England broke the deadlock in the 53rd minute when Dániel Gazdag converted a pass from Ilay Feingold, giving the home side a 1-0 advantage. Inter Miami responded with increased attacking pressure and found the equalizer in the 69th minute. Lionel Messi headed the ball into the path of Germán Berterame, who finished with a powerful header to make it 1-1. The assist was Messi’s 16th of the MLS season.
Messi then delivered the decisive moment in the 83rd minute. After receiving the ball from Luis Suárez, the Argentine captain combined with Telasco Segovia before driving a low shot into the bottom-right corner of the net. The goal marked Messi’s 26th of the regular season, strengthening his position at the top of the MLS scoring chart.
With the win, Inter Miami improved its record to 16 wins, six losses and 11 draws, moving to 59 points and second place in the Eastern Conference. New England remained on 58 points, one behind Miami. The victory also confirmed Inter Miami’s qualification for the 2027 Concacaf Champions Cup.
The match attracted a season-high crowd of 54,112 at Gillette Stadium, marking the second-largest regular-season home attendance in New England Revolution history. Messi’s late brilliance once again proved decisive as Inter Miami strengthened its position heading into the final stage of the regular season.
