Luis Suarez scored his first MLS goal of 2026 and Rodrigo De Paul netted a late winner as Inter Miami beat Real Salt Lake 2-0, with Lionel Messi held scoreless.
INTER Miami secured a hard-fought 2-0 victory over Real Salt Lake in Major League Soccer on Wednesday.
The win was sealed by late goals from Rodrigo De Paul and Luis Suarez, while superstar Lionel Messi was kept off the scoresheet.
Messi played the full 90 minutes for the visiting fans in Utah. The Argentine maestro created several opportunities but was repeatedly denied by Salt Lake’s Brazilian goalkeeper Rafael Cabral.
The deadlock was finally broken in the 82nd minute by De Paul. His powerful strike from a corner slipped through Cabral’s grasp and found the top-right corner of the net.
Suarez sealed the three points just a minute later with his first goal of the campaign. The 39-year-old Uruguayan latched onto a headed pass from German Berterame and finished clinically with his left foot.
“It was a beautiful goal, and as long as it helps the team, that’s great,” De Paul told Apple TV after the match. He praised the team’s performance in a first half where they “played great” under interim coach Guillermo Hoyos.
The result ended Real Salt Lake’s six-match unbeaten run. It also marked Miami’s second consecutive victory since their opening-day 3-0 defeat to Los Angeles FC.
Suarez’s strike was his 44th goal in 93 appearances for Inter Miami. The champions remain second in the Eastern Conference with 18 points, one behind Nashville SC who have a game in hand.
According to ticket marketplace TickPick, the match was the most expensive of the MLS season so far. The average ticket price reportedly soared to USD 468 for fans hoping to see Messi’s first appearance in Salt Lake City.
