Lionel Messi, the “God of Soccer,” exploded for his sixth consecutive goal in his American debut to lead Inter Miami to the League Cup final.

Miami defeated host Philadelphia Union 4-1 in the 2023 League Cup semifinals at Subaru Park in Chester, Pennsylvania, USA, on Saturday (June 16).

In the 20th minute of the first half, with Miami up 1-0, Messi took a pass from Josef Martinez and unleashed a stunning mid-range ground ball from 30 meters out.

The shot stretched out like a “laser beam” and found the bottom right corner of the goal.

Messi’s goal streak was extended to six games.

Messi has scored nine goals in six games, dating back to his Miami debut on March 22, when he scored the dramatic winner in stoppage time against Cruz Azul (Mexico) in the League Cup group stage to give his team a 2-1 victory.

Messi is booked as the League Cup’s top scorer.

Bongokule Longane (Minnesota), the second-leading scorer, had already been eliminated.

In the other semifinal, Nashville SC (USA) defeated Monterrey (Mexico) 2-0 to advance to the final, with Nashville’s top scorer, Sam Surridge, trailing Messi with three goals.

The third-place match between Monterrey and Philadelphia remains to be decided, but the highest-scoring player on either team, Herman Bertramé (5 goals-Monterrey), will need at least five goals to pass Messi.

With Messi playing the full game, Miami won comfortably with goals from Jordi Alba in the 48th minute and David Luiz in the 39th.

Philadelphia pulled one back in the second half on a goal by Alejandro Bedoya in the 28th minute.

The final between Miami and Nashville is set for a 10 a.m. kickoff on Nov. 20.

Miami is last in the 15-team Eastern Conference with five wins, three draws and 14 losses in MLS regular season play.

The Red Bulls were picked to finish last in the East this season, but after acquiring Messi, they made a huge run in the League Cup 먹튀검증토토사이트 and came close to winning the title.