When Inter Miami needed him most Lionel Messi stepped forward to propel his team into the CONCACAF Champions Cup and put them in pole position to clinch the second seed in Major League Soccers Eastern Conference.Miami headed to the New England Revolution, who started Sunday night in second place in the East, with both targets hanging by a thread but a 2-1 win, courtesy of a goal and an assist from their Argentine maestro, has put them in control of their own destiny.Continental qualification is guaranteed while a win against Charlotte FC next weekend will ensure they finish runners-up to Nashville.Results elsewhere meant the Revs also qualified for the Champions Cup but it was a night of mixed emotions for the home side who started well and went in front through Daniel Gazdag at the start of the second half.Miamis season was teetering on the brink but Messi then took centre stage.He set up Daniel Berterame for the equaliser after 69 minutes and then, with seven minutes to go, barged his way through two tackles on the edge of the area before cracking a low, left-footed drive past home goalkeeper Matt Turner for the winning goal.We needed to win Miami boss GonzalezIt makes me very happy for the players and for the club, we are on the side of contributing things, Miami boss Kily Gonzlez said. We are at a club that is in continuous growth, I have players committed to us. We needed to win and we challenged ourselves on what kind of team we wanted to be.We knew we were going up against a rival that tries to seek out duels where they defend high, so the possibility of changes was to have depth, look for the spaces, and the one-on-one matchups. We struggled with ball possession, which at times was very passive. My message to the players is I need everyone. In this case, we believed we needed to make some changes.This doesnt mean this is the team thats going to start the playoffs. Everyone shows me theyre eager to want to play.Hes the best of all Gonzalez hails marvellous MessiMessis goal was his 26th in the league this season and he also has 16 assists.I have no doubt that hes the best of all, Gonzlez said. None of them can compare to him when it comes to respect for his colleagues. Leo at his age and what he does, from my point of view, deserves the MVP and also the Ballon dOr. I hope he can achieve it. Topics Inter Miami CF Lionel Messi New England Revolution If you enjoy reading this article, you can help support our independent football journalism by adding 101 Great Goals as a preferred source You Should Also Read New England Revolution v Inter Miami: Preview, expected line-ups and where to watch as Messi looks to catch fire after cold spell Jon Fisher 30th October, 2026 Subdued Messi fails to fire as Fillipi salvages draw for Inter Miami Jon Fisher 29th October, 2026 Inter Miami v FC Cincinnati: Preview, expected line-ups, stats and where to watch with Messi set to return to starting XI Jon Fisher 28th October, 2026 Messi deserved Ballon dOr and Kanes triumph wont remove the stain of Englands World Cup semi-final defeat Ole Jon Fisher 27th October, 2026 Who won the Ballon dOr 2026? Recap on the results live from London as they happened Cian Cheesbrough 26th October, 2026 Chaos at the Ballon dOr! Statement released after Kane, Mbappe, Yamal and Messi all announced as winners Cian Cheesbrough 26th October, 2026
