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Lionel Messi's Inter Miami got off to a winning start in their MLS 2024 campaign by beating Real Salt Lake 2-0 on Wednesday, February 21.
Robert Taylor and Diego Gomez found the back of the net for Tata Martino's team at the DRV PNK Stadium.
Messi provided the assist for the opener of the night, scored by Finland international Taylor in the 39th minute. Luis Suarez then turned provider for Gomez's 85th-minute strike.
The match marked Messi and Suarez's first official game together at Inter Miami. Fans believe the former Barcelona duo is still going strong as one of them commented on X:
"Messi and Suarez still got it."
Another fan commented:
"Bring in Neymar and Saliba please."
Here are some more reactions across social media after Lionel Messi and company cruised past Real Salt Lake:
It was a perfect night for Inter Miami as they got the three points with the two superstars getting a goal contribution each, and the team also managing a clean sheet.
Inter Miami superstar Lionel Messi dismisses claims that he didn't play in Hong Kong due to political reasons
Lionel Messi didn't feature when Inter Miami played against Hong Kong XI during the MLS side's pre-season Asia tour. The Argentine ace's absence left a lot of fans furious as they turned up mainly to watch him in action.
Some reports cited that Messi's absence had to do with political issues, which the Barcelona legend has now dismissed. In a recently released video, he said addressing the Chinese fans (via Deccan Herald):
“I’ve done lots of things in China — interviews, games and events. I’ve also been there and played many times. As always, I send good wishes to everyone in China, who I’ve always had, and continue to have, special affection for. I hope to see you again soon."
Lionel Messi won the Olympic Gold Medal at the 2008 Beijing Games. His absence from the Hong Kong XI game, though, was mainly due to injury. Messi suffered a blow during a pre-season clash against Al-Hilal on January 29 and has since been used with cautious measures by Inter Miami boss Tata Martino.
