Lionel Messi gets 2 goals at record New England crowd; Miami beats Revolution 4-1

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — Lionel Messi scored two goals to excite a New England Revolution-record crowd, leading Inter Miami CF to a 4-1 victory on Saturday night.

Messi didn’t disappoint the crowd of 65,612 that filled Gillette Stadium, scoring on a left-footed kick from deep inside the box for his ninth goal of the season, breaking a 1-all tie in the 68th minute.

The attendance beat the previous record of 61,316, when the Revolution lost to the LA Galaxy in the 2002 MLS final.

In the opening half, he was a few feet inside the box, scoring on a left-foot kick to tie it at 1-1 in the 33rd minute.

When the 36-year-old 2022 World Cup winner scored, loud cheers echoed around the stands in a match that featured the Eastern Conference’s first-place Miami against the last-place Revolution.

Benjamin Cremaschi and Luis Suarez each scored late for Miami.

The Revolution had made it 1-0 in the opening minute when Tomas Chancalay beat a defender and dropped a shot over goaltender Drake Callender, who was charging out.

Even with the local winter professional teams — the Celtics and Bruins — both in the playoffs, much of the sports landscape centered around Messi’s visit this week.

Entering the stadium about 90 minutes before the match were hundreds of fans, mostly kids, wearing the pink Miami Messi jersey.

They were easily seen mixed in once the stadium was filled.

Sprinkled in were some of the Messi No. 10 Argentina white-and-blue-striped jerseys.

“I am so excited,” said Stacy Mills, 31, a traveling nurse from East Tennessee, who was wearing one of the Messi Argentina jerseys. “I’ve actually followed him since he was playing with Barcelona.”

Her friend, Caleadia Jessup, 53, also a travel nurse, from Fayetteville, North Carolina, was proud to show off her Messi Argentina one, too.

“I followed him when he played for the home country in the World Cup,” she said, smiling.

For many kids, it was a chance to watch a soccer great at the former home of a player that is referred to as NFL’s GOAT (Greatest of all time), Tom Brady, who won six Super Bowls with the New England Patriots.

“I’ve been playing since I was young. He’s my favorite player,” Cameron Howell, 14, from Halifax, Massachusetts, said about the Miami star.

UP NEXT

Inter Miami: At New York on May 4.

New England: Hosts Chicago on May 4.

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi, front center, waves to fans as he walks onto the field with teammates at Gillette Stadium before an MLS soccer match against the New England Revolution, Saturday, April 27, 2024, in Foxborough, Mass. (AP Photo/Mark Stockwell)

Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi (10) warms up before an MLS soccer match against the New England Revolution, Saturday, April 27, 2024, in Foxborough, Mass. (AP Photo/Mark Stockwell)

New England Revolution forward Tomás Chancalay, bottom right, falls while chasing the ball behind Inter Miami midfielder Tomás Aviles, front left, in the first half of an MLS soccer match Saturday, April 27, 2024, in Foxborough, Mass. (AP Photo/Mark Stockwell)

Inter Miami forwards Leonardo Campana (8) and Lionel Messi (10) watch the replay of Messi's goal in the first half of an MLS soccer match against the New England Revolution, Saturday, April 27, 2024, in Foxborough, Mass. (AP Photo/Mark Stockwell)

Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi, right, arrives at Gillette Stadium before an MLS soccer match against the New England Revolution, Saturday, April 27, 2024, in Foxborough, Mass. (AP Photo/Mark Stockwell)

A young fan shows his support for Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi before an MLS soccer match against the New England Revolution, Saturday, April 27, 2024, in Foxborough, Mass. (AP Photo/Mark Stockwell)

Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi (10) retrieves the ball from the net after scoring in the first half of an MLS soccer match against the New England Revolution, Saturday, April 27, 2024, in Foxborough, Mass. (AP Photo/Mark Stockwell)

Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi reacts after scoring in the first half of an MLS soccer match against the New England Revolution, Saturday, April 27, 2024, in Foxborough, Mass. (AP Photo/Mark Stockwell)

CAIRO (AP) — Canadian authorities are urging all remaining residents in the northeastern part of the province of British Columbia to leave immediately, despite improving weather conditions, after thousands have already been evacuated due to a fast-growing wildfire.

The blaze, which started Friday, almost doubled in size the following day, reaching about 17 square kilometers (4,200 acres). BC Wildfire Service maps showed the fire burning just a few kilometers (miles) west of Fort Nelson’s city limits.

Online footage shared by locals showed thick plumes of smoke rising high into the sky with houses in the foreground. In some photos, haze seemed to cover wide areas.

The Northern Rockies Regional Municipality and Fort Nelson First Nation issued a joint statement warning people staying behind that “emergency medical services are not available, nor are groceries or other amenities.”

The municipality mayor, Rob Fraser, said most of the 3,500 residents in and around Fort Nelson, B.C., have been evacuated, adding that police were going door to door to ensure everyone got out.

He said the Parker Lake fire is one of three major wildfires near Fort Nelson, located in the far northeastern corner of British Columbia, about 1,600 kilometers (994 miles) from Vancouver.

Health authorities said Fort Nelson General Hospital has been safely evacuated and closed until further notice.

Resident Bud Streeper posted a video update from the area on Saturday, saying that the winds that had whipped the Parker Lake wildfire into exponential growth on Friday night diminished overnight, reducing fire activity around the town.

The high winds pushed smoke from the blaze into parts of neighboring Alberta on Saturday, putting the city of Edmonton under an air quality advisory with hazard levels rated at 10-plus — or “very high risk” — forecast.

Meteorologists are not anticipating rain and have advised people to stay indoors.

Authorities in Alberta also issued an alert about a wildfire nearly 25 kilometers (15.5 miles) southwest of the oil sands city of Fort McMurray that can impact visibility on highways in some areas. No evacuation order has been given so far.

In 2023, Canada witnessed a record number of wildfires that have also caused choking smoke in parts of the U.S. and forced tens of thousands of people to evacuate across British Columbia.

Smoke from wildfires blankets the city as a couple has a picnic in Edmonton, Alberta, Saturday, May 11, 2024. (Jason Franson/The Canadian Press via AP)