Messi scores his first goals since World Cup as Inter Miami beat San Luis

Inter Miami secured a 4-2 victory over Atletico de San Luis in a Leagues Cup match, with Lionel Messi returning to the scoresheet following his World Cup campaign with Argentina. Playing in his second match since the tournament in which Argentina reached the final, Messi demonstrated his continued effectiveness by finding the net twice during the encounter. His goals came in the 11th and 44th minutes, establishing him as the leading scorer in Leagues Cup history with 14 goals across the competition's four-year existence.

The match took place at Nu Stadium on a rainy Wednesday evening and experienced a 30-minute delay in the second half due to lightning conditions in the area. San Luis initially took the lead through David Rodriguez's header in the fourth minute, but Messi quickly responded with an equalizer. His first goal came from a long cross delivered by teammate Noah Allen, while his second came from close range later in the first half. Messi also contributed an assist on Micael's header during stoppage time.

Telasco Segovia and defender Micael added to Inter Miami's scoring tally, while Allen provided three assists in the match. The victory extended Inter Miami's unbeaten run to eight consecutive matches. Messi had previously appeared as a substitute for 37 minutes in a 2-2 draw against Columbus Crew on Saturday, but Wednesday's performance marked his return to the starting lineup and his first goals since Argentina's World Cup final loss to Spain.

The result comes amid ongoing developments regarding Inter Miami's roster. Luis Suarez, another key attacking player, remains unavailable due to a six-match tournament suspension stemming from an incident during last year's Leagues Cup final against Seattle. Suarez had been in strong form with seven goals in his previous four matches before the suspension took effect.