24 November 2025
Argentine star Lionel Messi continued his dazzling performances in Major League Soccer (MLS), leading his team, Inter Miami, to a resounding 4-0 victory over Cincinnati in the Eastern Conference semifinals early Monday morning. With this win, Messi and his team reached the MLS Cup final, scheduled for November 29th.
Messi opened the scoring in the 19th minute with a rare header. He then provided three assists for his teammates, Mateo Silveti (57th minute) and Mateo Allende (62nd and 74th minutes), setting a new record in MLS playoff matches.
With this brilliance, Messi raised his tally to 46 goals this season across all competitions, and to 896 career goals, including 30 headers. He also provided 404 assists, bringing his total goal contributions for club and country to 1,300.
Messi's brilliance came just hours after his long-time rival Cristiano Ronaldo scored a stunning bicycle kick for Al-Nassr against Al-Khaleej in the Saudi Pro League, sparking a new wave of comparisons between the two legends.
Despite both leaving the major European leagues, their rivalry remains fiercely contested globally thanks to their immense popularity. Ronaldo, for his part, increased his career tally to 954 goals.
Inter Miami will face the winner of the Philadelphia 76ers vs. New York City FC match in the final, while the Eastern Conference champion will play the Western Conference champion on December 6 to determine the MLS Cup champion for the 2025 season.
