Messi Hat-Trick 💥 Inter Miami vs Orlando City 6-2 - All Goals & Highlights - 2026

We're set for a good one here at Chase Stadium. The referee in charge is Rosendo Mendoza. He was the referee for the Eastern Conference Final last year, which many thought would feature these two clubs. It included neither. Jeffrey Greeson, Kevin Locker, his assistants, and standing by in North Texas, Edvin Urasenich, is the man in charge of VAR. John Krill is his assistant this evening. Jordy Alva, not part of the festivities tonight. He's a spectator. His status for the upcoming FIFA Club World Cup remains to be seen. He is out tonight, as is Gonzalo Lujan, key players on the Miami back line who walked off with injury. And the match played here on Wednesday. As we get a look at Lionel Messi, next goal for him will be his 30th in the regular season. It would establish a new club record for Inter-Miami. We'll see if that comes tonight. Columbus is an MLS original. Miami, a relative newbie, but there's a history between these sides that's been brewing. Inter-Miami clinched the supporters' shield last season, October 2nd, in Columbus, a 3-2 victory in which Messi scored twice. Flag stays down. Aliou on the run, but booted away from him. 7-2 and 7 on the year. Way for Lionel Messi. Messi plays it across to Miami. Messi with Shambo all over him. Messi tries to escape the pressure. He's Messi again with a touch of the 18. Messi! Mosky to win it back. They play it into the box. Big shot by Suarez, and there's Hagen who got to deny him. It's out for a corner. Well, we've spoken about a number of plays for Inter-Miami so far in this first. New York City perfectly playing through. Canada in the coming days. Shambo tries to work that across. He continues on, still has it at the top of the box, trying to work it. Mosky able to work this across. David Martinez gets a head to it. That's Falcone reaching out with the foot. It's coming back for a goal kick. Dangerous doings in the Columbus box. Yeah, it worked really well. When the ball comes across to Martinez, you think Suarez or Falcone, one of them has this three versus two. If Suarez or Messi drops off, Messi with the steal. Messi parried away. It's a two-nothing game. Messi to double the lead in the opener on its own ground. Well, what a start for Inter-Miami. You just look, when this pass comes back to Hagen, all of a sudden he's under a bit of pressure. Kramasky does really well. He makes him go onto his left foot. He's not able to get the distance on it. And the one person you do not want the ball to fall to is Messi, because he just looks, takes one touch, and says, thank you very much. Hagen is off his line. He doesn't cover himself in glory once again, but you just see the clearance here. It's great play from Kramasky. And then just a lob from Messi. From a Columbus team that started really well, they find themselves two. Messi plays into the back. Suarez shot back. This now highest-scoring team in major leagues. Looks one-on-one on Wigan. They're able to work that ball across. Lag stays down. Falcone retreating and breaks from Kramasky initially. Gets here to Daniel Gazdag. Moreira brought down by Nagby. Nagby, a friendly tonight against El Salvador. Messi to Messi again. Played to Segovia. Mo Farsi into the box. Touched by Rossi. On this, Arrebe shrugs off. Oh, a heroic stop. Now the flag does go up on the near side. It looks as though the flag has actually gone up, though. It looked initially like it was for offside. The flag went up. Mike, the outside setbacks of Columbus. Wigan. Restart and goes over the top. Allende stretches the field and opens the scoring. Inter-Miami with a 1-0 lead. His fourth goal in the last five matches. Columbus caught flat-footed. They are, and it's been a number of times as well where there's been space in behind, and Inter-Miami have tried to take advantage of it on a few occasions, and they've got there this time as well. It was a really well-thought-out free kick. You've got the runners in behind. Allende, we know that he's a willing runner. You just see Messi, the ability that he's got to just play that ball, and then there's probably a little bit of a question mark to say, Hagen, should he have come out a little bit earlier? Inter-Miami, they don't care because the ball ends up in the back of the net. My only question mark is when Messi took that free kick. I don't know. Obviously, it's been looked at. Fox, taken here by his chance. Blew 1,000 games. Luis Suarez going for gold. Comes into Miami. They've been going most of the night. Brought down by Sunumbo. Curls towards the far post. Way to go by a point. Taken here by Columbus. This ball takes a deflection. It's out wide. Aliyu cutting, and it's coming back for a goal kick. It's been a great start from Columbus. Obviously, Inter-Miami, they've come into the game with the intention of sitting deep and sitting narrow, but at some point, you have to go towards the opposition players, and they haven't done that. Messi again. Trying to fit outside. Farsi with the crew trying to get back into this. Diego Rossi plays this ahead. Has Aliyu. Shoots. No. The crew will tell you they outplayed. And it's a 3-0 game. It's been a week-long masterclass from the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner. Mid-first half. The lead has grown to three. It's once again just setting the traps continuously. You see the high line, and you can see it's actually Farsi, the right wing back that's playing Messi on. He's not in line with the rest of the back five, and it's a simple finish for Messi once again. And it's been a quite sensational first half from Inter-Miami, whereas for Columbus, it's been the complete opposite. And one. Spalls defended away neatly. The crew asking some questions. There's a shot. Here's Farsi. We're in a third straight game without their number one keeper. Patrick Schultz lays it across. Allen works it across, but broke it. Columbus. So, Austin, top of the box. This shot. Shambo on the free kick. Lionel Messi. Suarez. Russell Rowe looking to get on this. Will Falcone save it? Will fake a shot. Now off the row. Jason Russell Rowe wants Rossi to back. He's on to this. Ibrahim Ali at the first. Top of the box. Guess who? There's a collector's item. The seven-year-old Shambo now. Shambo to swing this ball out. Rubalcaba! And it's in the back of the net. How the crew take advantage, and this is a three-to-one game. Barely a celebration. They're all business now, but they're within two. Well, maybe it's game on now. We know Inter-Miami, you mentioned it perfectly. The simple fact that they concede a lot of goals from set pieces. They give up opportunities. Be interesting to see whether the nerves just seem to come in now. It's a wonderful ball in from Shambo, and an even better header from Rubalcaba. Gives Rios-Novo absolutely no chance. Wonderful header, and that maybe, just maybe, has got Columbus back into this game. And for Cesar Rubalcaba, his first MLS goal in what is his seventh MLS appearance. And still, Inter-Miami, without a clean sheet since that win in Cleveland back in April. A Rios-Novo. Matt Turner, who will get back to the drawing board in the next game, put the swing that in. Loose ball. Rubalcaba for Aliyu. He knew that's Bowe. On the move for the crew. Shambo gives it a go. Allen. To Daniel Gosdon. Plays this out wide. Suarez service. Whips it in. Making traffic is Busquets, and he has Segovia. In the meantime, here's the crew looking for a second, and a shot. Didn't miss by much. Off the foot of Russell Rowe. It's a really good strike from Russell Rowe, as well. Just dipped at the last minute, as well. It's a lot closer than what it actually looked. Just sees good pressing here. Rolls it in. It's a messy. Segovia. Suarez. Suarez restores the three-goal advantage for Inter Miami. As a professional, and again, it's the dynamic duo, as was the case Wednesday, who've answered the call in fine fashion tonight. What a beautiful goal. This goal is all about patience. Patience and movement. Messi, wonderful turn. He plays it in to Weigand, and you're thinking, okay, Weigand's gonna go for it. No, he's gonna play to Messi. Messi's gonna go for it. To Segovia. Segovia's gonna go for it. No. The most open player in the 18-yard box is Suarez. This is a goal of beauty. Fight in the east. It's Miami with the pass. Defend off a defender, or Tico. Now La Palina to swing that ball in. Rossi to play across. Broken up by Pico. Manny's side. Columbus seeks out as a sub left. Alan Obando under pressure. Rubalcava whips this ball in. There's Rossi trying to take it out of midair, but could not. Now Weigand. It will storm into the field. With a decisive win. One of the finest teams in the Eastern Conference. When you talk about a player with intelligence, with understanding of where the space is, and the movement of players, there are none better than Messi. What a ball to Pico. And give great credit as well to Pico, because he has so much time to figure out and decide what he's going to do. And he's made such a big impact off the bench. But the ball is magnificent from Messi. Absolutely brilliant. He knows what he's going to do three days before anybody else does. But then, like I say, give Pico great credit. He's come on as a sub. Takes it out wide. Luis Suarez. Manny back from the hat trick. It's out for a corner. I think Herrera did really well to get back then. But it's just such a good break. The touch, initial touch, I think it was from Suarez on the halfway line. A four-year-old home run from Edward Pines, Florida. Tinez. Goes. Sideline. Here's Coy Allen. Ahead. For the postgame only. He's stretched. Moved up the pitch and down the pitch. Way, and here's Russell Rowe. He's a Russell Rowe shot to flip. Beyond to this, Lionel Messi continues on in the box. That's broken up. Into Miami on the loose ball. Segovia for Allende. Lionel Messi willing to try and keep his team in the game. He does it. It feels like deja vu for Nashville. The first half they had the initiative, got their goal, conceded. Here they have the large spell of possession, and yet it's Inter-Miami with the most pivotal moments and decisive moments. Alfonso earns the penalty kick, and it's Lionel Messi getting his seventh goal of the season with a calm and definitive finish to wrong foot Joe Willis. Extend the lead in this match at 3-1 for Inter-Miami.