Lionel Messi achieved his eighth goal within five games, helping his team secure a 4-0 victory over Charlotte in the Leagues Cup quarter-finals
Lionel Messi, who won the World Cup with Argentina, had a quiet game in Florida until he scored Miami’s fourth goal in the 86th minute.
Despite not winning in 11 previous games, Miami has now won five games in a row since Messi joined in July.
Next, they will play against Philadelphia Union in the semi-finals on Tuesday.
Miami went ahead with a penalty from Josef Martinez in the 12th minute, and Robert Taylor added another goal in the first half after a pass from DeAndre Yedlin.
Charlotte’s situation got worse in the second half when a cross from Diego Gomez meant for Messi was accidentally turned into their own net by defender Adilson Malanda.
The former Barcelona and Paris St-Germain forward added to Miami’s easy win with a simple goal after good play from Ecuadorian striker Leonardo Campana.
After an exciting match with FC Dallas in the previous round that ended 4-4, with Miami winning in penalties, manager Gerardo Martino was pleased that his team kept a clean sheet.
“We kept control of the ball for longer spells and I think there was only one clear chance from the opponent,” said Messi.
“Other than that I think we didn’t suffer defensively.”
