Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi celebrates after scoring a goal in the first half against the New England Revolution on Saturday night in Foxborough, Massachusetts. Mark Stockwell/Associated Press
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Lionel Messi wowed a record New England Revolution crowd with two goals Saturday night, leading Inter Miami CF to a 4-1 victory.
Messi did not disappoint the crowd of 65,612 at Gillette Stadium, scoring his ninth goal of the season with his left foot from deep in the box in the 68th minute, breaking the 1-1 tie.
This attendance surpassed the previous record of 61,316, set when the Revolution lost to the Los Angeles Galaxy in the 2002 MLS final.
In the 33rd minute of the first half, he scored with a left-footed kick a few feet inside the box to erase a 1-0 deficit.
When the 36-year-old 2022 World Cup winner scored a goal in the match between Eastern Conference number one Miami and last place Revolution, the stands erupted in cheers.
Benjamin Klemaski and Luis Suarez scored late goals for Miami.
The Revolution made it 1-0 in the first minute when Thomas Chanqueray beat a defender and placed a shot over onrushing goalkeeper Drake Callender.
Much of the sports world this week centered around Messi's visit, even though the local winter pro teams, the Celtics and Bruins, are both in the playoffs.
About 90 minutes before the game, hundreds of fans, mostly children, entered the stadium wearing pink Miami Messi jerseys.
They could easily be seen mingling as the stadium filled up.
Scattered inside were Messi's number 10 and part of Argentina's white and blue striped jersey.
“I'm so excited,” said Stacey Mills, 31, a traveling nurse from Tennessee. She was wearing a Messi Argentina jersey. “In fact, I've been following him ever since he was playing for Barcelona.”
Her friend Caliadia Jessup, 53, a travel nurse from Fayetteville, North Carolina, also proudly displayed her Messi Argentina jersey.
“When he played for his country in the World Cup, I followed him,” she said with a smile.
For many kids, it was a chance to watch great football at the former home of Tom Brady, who won six Super Bowls with the New England Patriots.
“I've been playing since I was little. He's my favorite player,” Cameron Howell, 14, of Halifax, Mass., said of the Miami star.
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