Lionel Messi has once again managed to get the better of Jamaican goalkeeper Andre Blake, this time in **Inter Miami CF**’s 4-1 win over the **Philadelphia Union** in their Leagues Cup 2023 semi-final clash. Their previous duel came back in September of 2022, when the Argentine scored in similar fashion.
The Argentine maestro would pick up the ball on twenty minutes from three-quarters of the way up the pitch, after his teammate Josef Martínez suffered a clumsy foul. Instead of calling for the free-kick, Messi decided to make the most of the referee’s advantage.
He then unleashed a left-footed shot that caught the goalkeeper out of position. The strike beat Andre Blake - who was named MLS’s best goalkeeper in 2016, 2020, and 2022 - and put Inter Miami CF 2-0 up.
The goalkeeper had already been beaten by the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner in another game. In a friendly match in the lead-up to the World Cup in Qatar in September 2022, Messi would score two goals in Argentina’s 3-0 win over Jamaica in New Jersey. The two games also share another similarity, in that both match-ups saw the Argentinian maestro score the second with a left-footed shot from outside the box.
Messi found the net twice that evening - tonight, he once again found a way past one of the best goalkeepers at this summer’s Leagues Cup. Inter Miami CF are now through to the final, and have sealed their spot in next year’s **CONCACAF Champions League** in the process.
