The Shocking Reason Lionel Messi’s 61st Hat-Trick Was Stripped Away in Inter Miami Match Revealed!

Lionel Messi was the driving force behind Inter Miami‘s thrilling comeback against FC Cincinnati on Wednesday, May 13th, but Major League Soccer declined to credit him with what would have been the 61st hat-trick of his career.

Visiting Cincinnati for a regular-season MLS match, Messi opened the scoring in the 24th minute by pressing high, winning the ball from a poor Matt Miazga pass and finishing clinically. After the hosts fought back to lead 2-1, Messi restored parity with a composed finish set up by a key cross from Rodrigo De Paul.

Evander put Cincinnati back in front at 3-2 in the 64th minute, but Messi quickly responded, this time as a creator, threading an assist to Mateo Silvetti to level the score. Then, in the 89th minute, after a defensive miscommunication in Cincinnati’s backline left German Berterame with a rebound, Messi capped off the comeback by sliding home after a Silvetti cross to complete what many in attendance believed was a hat-trick.