Messi scores winner to lift Miami past Revolution

Lionel Messi provided an assist and scored the winning goal as Inter Miami defeated the New England Revolution 2-1 on Sunday night in Foxborough, Massachusetts. The result secures second place in the Eastern Conference for Miami, which now trails New England by a single point with one regular-season match remaining.

New England struck first in the 53rd minute. Dániel Gazdag finished a sequence involving passes from defenders Ilay Feingold and Peyton Miller to score. The 18-year-old Miller recorded his ninth assist of the season, a career high, while Feingold added his fifth. The goal gave Gazdag his second of the season in 11 appearances.

Inter Miami responded in the 69th minute when Germán Berterame leveled the score. Messi and Telasco Segovia combined to set up the goal. This marked the first goal contribution for Messi in three matches. Berterame has recorded 10 goals and 10 assists during his first Major League Soccer season.

Messi broke the tie in the 83rd minute. He scored his 26th goal of the season, a league-leading total, after receiving a pass from Segovia. The assist marked Segovia's 12th of the campaign, which is a career high for him in his second full season. Messi currently leads the league in goal contributions with 42, nine ahead of the next player, and is tied for second in assists with 16.

Goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair made three saves for Inter Miami, which improved to a 10-4-3 record on the road. This was the club's 10th away win of the season, three more than any other team. Matt Turner, the goalkeeper for New England, stopped three shots to end the Revolution's four-match winning streak. Their home record now stands at 11-4-2.

The first half ended in a 0-0 draw. St. Clair recorded two saves during that period, while Turner made one. The two teams previously met in April and played to a 1-1 draw in Miami. Inter Miami hosts Charlotte FC on Saturday to close out its regular season. New England travels to Orlando City for its final match.