“With Inter Miami level late in a Leagues Cup semi-final, Messi latches onto Jordi Alba’s pass to restore a 2–1 lead in the 88th minute, sealing a brace and marking his 60th goal for the club and 877th of his career.”
Messi reaches his 60th goal for Inter Miami with a decisive semi-final brace against Orlando City, running the game for 90 minutes to book a place in the Leagues Cup final at 38 years old.
Against Liverpool in a Champions League semi-final, Messi’s late third for Barcelona turns a tight 2–0 into a daunting 3–0 cushion and also marks his 600th goal for the club, a mythic milestone reached on one of Europe’s biggest stages.
In a tense El Clásico Champions League semi-final deadlocked at 0–0, Messi latches onto Afellay’s low cross to break Madrid’s resistance and give Barcelona a crucial first-leg lead, on the way to a brace and his 35th Champions League goal.
Against a relentless Liverpool in a Champions League semi-final, Messi doubles Barcelona’s lead to tilt the tie decisively their way, and the strike also becomes his mythical 600th goal for the club.
Against seven-time European champions Milan in a tense quarter-final deadlock, Messi calmly sends the keeper the wrong way from the spot to launch Barcelona’s 3–1 win and quietly reach 50 goals in the Champions League.