FOXBORO, MA — The Lionel Messi show made it’s way to Foxboro on Saturday night in front of a Revolution record 65,612 fans looking to catch a glimpse of the living legend.
Messi did not disappoint.
The Inter Miami star scored two goals and added an assisstas Miami cruised past the Revolution 4-1 the final.
It was however the Revs who got on the board first as New England’s Tomás Chancalay scored less than 40 seconds into the match.
Messi tied the game 1-1 in the 32nd minute, taking a through ball from Robert Taylor and hammering a a left-footed strike in past keeper Henrich Ravas.
Inevitable.
Messi grabs his 8th goal of the season! 🌟 pic.twitter.com/iE0DNiKpGZ
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) April 28, 2024
Then in the second half Messi slipped behind the Revolution defense in the 67th minute, and drove home his second of the game off a a perfect pass from Sergio Busquets to put the visitors ahead for good.
“I don’t think [Messi] had a ton of touches and effectiveness early on in the game,” Revs coach Caleb Porter said. “But that’s kind of him, he lulls you. I thought it was a game where we were doing well, we were defending well, and I just think in those first two goals, we have to do better when they pop a ball through our back four, because we can’t allow a ball to be popped through the back four to find him twice.”
“You need to be focused for 90 minutes. If you only last 45 minutes,” added midfielder Carles Gill. “Messi scores two goals and one assist. So, he’s focused for 90 minutes. Maybe sometimes he’ll need to choose that another player shoots, that [another player] can have the opportunity. He’s the best in the world.”
Messi almost got the hat trick if not for a brilliant stop from Ravas but Inter Miami teammate Benjamin Cremaschi was there to tap in the rebound and make it 3-1.
Messi finished the match with an assist in the 88th minute to former Barcelona teammate and close friend Luis Suárez who entered the game as a sub in the 63rd minute.
With the two goals, Messi became the first player in MLS history to have five straight games with multiple goal contributions. With nine goals, Messi is one goal up on Cristian Arango for the MLS league lead.
New England heads back on the road again next Saturday, May 4 to face Chicago Fire FC.
MATCH NOTES
- Saturday’s crowd of 65,612 set a new single-game attendance record for the Revolution, surpassing the 2002 MLS Cup final (61,316).
- The crowd is also the second-largest attendance for a soccer match at Gillette Stadium in the venue’s 23-year history, only behind a 2007 international friendly between Brazil and Mexico (67,584).
- Tomás Chancalay scored his first goal of the regular season, his fifth tally across all competitions this season.
- The first-minute goal was New England’s fastest tally since May 31, 2023, when Carles Gil scored 21 seconds into the match.
- Carles Gil tallied his first regular season assist of 2024, his 75th helper across all competitions for the club. Gil led the team with seven key passes on the night.
- Gil now has 99 goal contributions for his MLS regular season career, one shy of becoming the fifth player in club history to reach the century mark.
- Defender Xavier Arreaga, acquired on Tuesday by New England in a trade with Seattle, earned his first start for the club on Saturday night.
- Henry Kessler made his 100th appearance for New England across all competitions in Saturday’s match, marking the occasion by completing 92 percent of his passes.
- Dylan Borrero returned to action for New England 365 days after suffering a knee injury, entering the match as an 81st-minute substitute.
