Lionel Messi

ASUNCION — A stunning bicycle kick from Antonio Sanabria and a second-half header from Omar Alderete gave Paraguay a well earned 2-1 home win over Argentina in the South American World Cup qualifiers on Thursday.

Argentina took the lead 11 minutes into the game when Enzo Fernandez's deep pass found Lautaro Martinez, whose thunderous shot was initially ruled out for offside, but was eventually awarded after a VAR review.

Lionel Messi and Inter Miami have said farewell to the 2024 MLS playoffs after falling to Atlanta United at home in perhaps one of the biggest upsets in recent MLS history.

Atlanta showed an incredible amount of resilience, responding to the pair of goals from The Herons in a matter of minutes and completely silencing the pink crowd in both halves.

Lionel Messi will play a three game series for the first time in his career.

Inter Miami suffered a last-minute loss in the MLS playoffs against Atlanta United in the second game of the three game series of the East Conference quarterfinals on Saturday, with an electric Mercedes-Benz Stadium putting a stop to Lionel Messi’s incredible streak with The Herons.

Watch: Brad Guzan mistake vs. Inter Miami

Lionel Messi’s MLS playoff debut was a success, with the Argentine star delivering on and off the pitch. This time, he took his stardom to the world of TikTok.

Inter Miami wins first-ever MLS playoff match; cruises past Atlanta United

Inter Miami defeated Atlanta United 2-1 to win their first-ever MLS playoff match in Fort Lauderdale's Chase Stadium on Friday.

The former FC Barcelona duo comprised of Luis Suárez and Jordi Alba delivered the pair of goals that put Miami closer to the next round. Messi also provided an assist.

After clinching MLS playoff berths with regular-season-ending wins on Saturday, CF Montreal and Atlanta United will square off in the Eastern Conference's wild-card match on Tuesday.

Inter Miami are officially the best team in MLS Regular Season history.

Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami defeated the New England Revolution at home to break the record of the most single-season points in MLS history.

Inter Miami break MLS single-season points record

A euphoric 6-2 comeback victory, topped off by an incredible Messi brace, turned out enough for the men led by Gerardo Martino to attain the record, coincidentally breaking the mark set by the Revolution during the 2021 season.

Inter Miami's dominant regular season could conclude with the league points record when they host the New England Revolution on Saturday evening in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

Miami (21-8-4, 71 points) already clinched the Supporters' Shield and will carry home-field advantage throughout the MLS Cup playoffs. A victory on Saturday would give the Herons the most single-season points in MLS history, breaking the mark of 73 set by the Revolution during the 2021 season.

Inter Miami points record

BUENOS AIRES — Lionel Messi scored his 10th international hat-trick and had a hand in two more goals as Argentina thrashed Bolivia 6-0 in South American qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup in front of an adoring home crowd at the Monumental Stadium on Tuesday.

Lionel Messi vs Bolivia highlights

Making only his second international appearance since recovering from an injury sustained at the Copa America in July, Messi capitalized on a mistake by defender Marcelo Suarez to open the scoring in the 19th minute.

Venezuela pulled off a fantastic result in CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying with a 1-1 draw vs. Argentina on Thursday. During a pause in the game for an injury there was a small skirmish between Lionel Messi and Venezuela’s Yeferson Soteldo.

When we say “small skirmish” we’re not talking about the heights of the players as Soteldo stands at 5 feet 3 inches tall and Messi is 5 feet 7 inches.