Lionel Messi catapults Inter Miami to their first Supporter's Shield with a 3-2 win against Columbus Crew

CNN
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Lionel Messi led Inter Miami to its first-ever Supporters' Shield with a 3-2 win over the Columbus Crew on Wednesday night, winning his second title with the club and his 46th overall.

Messi's two goals – the first, a close-range finish, and the second, a sensational free-kick goal – at the end of the first half helped Inter Miami defeat the team and win the trophy awarded to the team with the best overall record of the regular season.

Luis Suárez, the Argentine's former Barcelona teammate, restored the two-goal lead shortly after Columbus cut the lead through a Diego Rossi shot in the 46th minute, and Miami held on to win despite Cucho Hernández later in converted a penalty in the second half.

“I'm happy. I'm happy for this group. I think I told you at the beginning of the year that we knew this was a group we had to fight for,” Messi said in an interview with Apple TV the game.

“We took the lead from the start, we had the players to do it. I am happy to have achieved the first goal and we are thinking about the next one,” he added.

The victory comes not long after Messi was out of action for Miami for more than three months due to injury and a national team call-up, returning to the pitch on September 15. This year he has 17 goals and 15 assists in just 17 games for the team.

With first place in the regular season table, Miami has secured home advantage in the MLS Cup playoffs.

The club must win its remaining two league games if it wants to break the New England Revolution's MLS record of 73 points from the 2021 season.

But beyond that, Miami will certainly have their sights set on the MLS Cup.

“We are so proud to see our players lifting the Supporters Shield after a great win in Columbus,” Miami co-owner and former England international David Beckham wrote on Instagram.

“Another amazing achievement in the history of this football club and I'm delighted to present this trophy to the best fans in the league. “Now let's go again and on to the next.”