Lionel Messi scored his 10th and 11th goals and had an assist, German Berterame scored the go-ahead goal in the 84th minute, and Inter Miami capitalized on two defensive blunders to secure a 5-3 victory over host Cincinnati on Wednesday night.

Mateo Silvetti equalized for Miami at 3-3 in the 79th minute, sparking a late rally that led the Herons to their fifth consecutive road win in MLS, improving their record to 7-2-4 and totaling 25 points.

Alongside Messi and Silvetti, Rodrigo de Paul provided two assists as Miami claimed victory in a rematch of their prior 4-0 win against Cincinnati in the 2025 Eastern Conference semifinals.

Cincinnati’s Kevin Denkey scored his eighth goal and provided two assists, while Evander netted his seventh goal with a stunning strike in the 64th minute to give Cincinnati a 3-2 lead. Pavel Bucha also found the back of the net for the hosts, whose six-match unbeaten streak ended as they conceded three or more goals for the fifth time in nine games.

Messi played a crucial role in Silvetti’s equalizer, seizing on a turnover by Cincinnati. He delivered the ball to the 20-year-old on the left side of the penalty area. Silvetti executed a clever cutback and neatly placed a low finish through traffic into the bottom right corner.

Five minutes later, Berterame scored his fourth goal of the season, putting the Herons ahead. Messi was involved again, delivering a diagonal free kick that seemed a simple catch for Cincinnati goalkeeper Roman Celentano. However, a collision between center back Andrei Chirila and Celentano allowed Berterame to easily slot the ball into an open net.

Messi almost completed his third MLS hat trick in the 89th minute when he connected with Silvetti’s cross from the left and made a sliding shot that struck the inside of the right post. The ball deflected off Celentano and over the line, leading to an own goal being awarded.

Messi opened the scoring in the 24th minute by capitalizing on a mistake from Cincinnati’s center back Matt Miazga. Pressuring Miazga, Messi deflected an ill-advised pass into an open goal when Miazga had the opportunity to simply clear it for a corner. Messi’s second goal came in the 55th minute, leveling the game at 2-all with a well-placed shot after a cross from de Paul, following a combination play that also included Luis Suarez.