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Lionel Messi of Inter Miami celebrates during Leagues Cup semifinal against Philadelphia Union in Chester, Pennsylvania, U.S., August 15, 2023. /CFP
Lionel Messi continued his prolific scoring form with a superb first-half strike as Inter Miami reached the Leagues Cup final with a 4-1 away win over Philadelphia Union on Tuesday.
Messi has now scored nine times in six matches since joining the Florida outfit on a free transfer last month.
Venezuelan striker Josef Martinez gave the hosts the lead in the third minute at Subaru Park when he ran onto Sergii Kryvtsov's pass and slotted a cool finish past goalkeeper Andre Blake.
Martinez then turned provider as he found Messi in space, allowing the Argentine World Cup winner to stream forward before rifling a low 30-yard drive into the far corner.
Messi's former Barcelona teammate Jordi Alba made it 3-0 on the stroke of halftime when he pounced on Robert Taylor's through ball and dribbled into the area before finishing with a lofted shot over the lunging Blake.
Alejandro Bedoya reduced the deficit by firing home from close range after goalkeeper Drake Callender failed to deal with a corner.
But Miami put the result beyond doubt though substitute David Ruiz, who combined with Deandre Yedlin before angling a close-range finish past Blake.
Inter Miami will meet Nashville who downed Monterrey 2-0 in the final on Saturday.
The Leagues Cup is an annual competition featuring clubs from the U.S., Canada and Mexico.
(With input from Xinhua)
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Disinformation report hotline: 010-85061466