Lionel Messi has hand in all 5 goals as Miami routs Crew

Lionel Messi had two goals and three assists and Inter Miami used a three-goal first half to rout the flailing Columbus Crew 5-1 in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., on Saturday.

Messi chipped goals in the 15th and 24th minutes to augment a 13th-minute tally by Tadeo Allende for a 3-0 lead at the break. The Crew has allowed the first goal in five of their past six matches.

Messi has four goals and four assists in his past two matches.

Miami (8-3-5, 29 points), which ended four-match winless streak in a 4-2 win over CF Montreal on Wednesday, played its final match before opening Club World Cup play against Al Ahly of Egypt on June 14.

The Crew (7-3-7, 28 points) have two losses and four ties since their last win on May 3.

Miami jumped on top when Allende scored after a quick restart by Messi left him unmarked, not unlike the way a quick throw-in by Nashville SC resulted in the tying goal against the Crew on Wednesday.

The second goal was even more egregious. Crew goalkeeper Nicholas Hagen was pressured looking for an outlet and he cleared the ball to the one player in the world you absolutely shouldn't.

Messi happily accepted the gift and lofted a shot over the backpedaling Hagen, who got a hand on it but couldn't stop the ball.

Messi then scored his 10th goal of the season and 30th in MLS regular-season play, breaking a tie with Gonzalo Higuain for the most in franchise history.

Sergio Busquets sent an overhead ball that Messi gathered outside the box and easily slipped past Hagen.

Columbus made it interesting when Cesar Ruvalcaba headed a corner kick by Dylan Chambost in the 58th minute for his first MLS goal in his seventh match. But a beautifully crafted build-up led to a Luis Suarez goal, his third in the past two matches, in the 64th minute to make it 4-1 Miami.

Messi sent Fafa Picault on a breakaway goal in the 89th minute as the Herons had no trouble exploiting a defense that has allowed 10 goals in its past three matches.

--Field Level Media