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Messi has a record-setting game with a goal and 5 assists in Inter Miami's 6-2 win over Red Bulls

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Messi has a record-setting game with a goal and 5 assists in Inter Miami's 6-2 win over Red Bulls
Sport

Sport

Messi has a record-setting game with a goal and 5 assists in Inter Miami's 6-2 win over Red Bulls

2024-05-05 11:32 Last Updated At:11:41

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Lionel Messi had a record-setting night for Inter Miami.

He scored a goal and had five assists as Inter Miami trounced the New York Red Bulls 6-2 on Saturday night — with the Argentine great and eight-time Ballon d’Or winner as the game’s best player setting no fewer than three Major League Soccer records.

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Inter Miami defender Franco Negri, left, protects the ball from New York Red Bulls midfielder Emil Forsberg during the second half of an MLS soccer game, Saturday, May 4, 2024, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (AP Photo/Michael Laughlin)

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Lionel Messi had a record-setting night for Inter Miami.

Inter Miami's Marcelo Weigandt, left, controls the ball in front of New York Red Bulls forward Elias Manoel (11) during the second half of an MLS soccer game, Saturday, May 4, 2024, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (AP Photo/Michael Laughlin)

Inter Miami's Marcelo Weigandt, left, controls the ball in front of New York Red Bulls forward Elias Manoel (11) during the second half of an MLS soccer game, Saturday, May 4, 2024, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (AP Photo/Michael Laughlin)

New York Red Bulls midfielder Emil Forsberg advances the ball past Inter Miami defender Nicolás Freire (21) during the second half of an MLS soccer game, Saturday, May 4, 2024, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (AP Photo/Michael Laughlin)

New York Red Bulls midfielder Emil Forsberg advances the ball past Inter Miami defender Nicolás Freire (21) during the second half of an MLS soccer game, Saturday, May 4, 2024, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (AP Photo/Michael Laughlin)

Inter Miami midfielder Matias Rojas, bottom leeft, celebrates after a goal against the New York Red Bulls during the second half of an MLS soccer game Saturday, May 4, 2024, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (AP Photo/Michael Laughlin)

Inter Miami midfielder Matias Rojas, bottom leeft, celebrates after a goal against the New York Red Bulls during the second half of an MLS soccer game Saturday, May 4, 2024, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (AP Photo/Michael Laughlin)

Inter Miami players celebrate after a goal against the New York Red Bulls during the second half of an MLS soccer game, Saturday, May 4, 2024, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (AP Photo/Michael Laughlin)

Inter Miami players celebrate after a goal against the New York Red Bulls during the second half of an MLS soccer game, Saturday, May 4, 2024, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (AP Photo/Michael Laughlin)

New York Red Bulls defender Kyle Duncan (6) advances the ball against Inter Miami during the second half of an MLS soccer game, Saturday, May 4, 2024, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (AP Photo/Michael Laughlin)

New York Red Bulls defender Kyle Duncan (6) advances the ball against Inter Miami during the second half of an MLS soccer game, Saturday, May 4, 2024, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (AP Photo/Michael Laughlin)

Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi runs into New York Red Bulls midfielder Daniel Edelman during the first half of an MLS soccer match Saturday, May 4, 2024, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (AP Photo/Michael Laughlin)

Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi runs into New York Red Bulls midfielder Daniel Edelman during the first half of an MLS soccer match Saturday, May 4, 2024, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (AP Photo/Michael Laughlin)

Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi dribbles the ball during the first half of an MLS soccer game against the New York Red Bulls, Saturday, May 4, 2024, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (AP Photo/Michael Laughlin)

Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi dribbles the ball during the first half of an MLS soccer game against the New York Red Bulls, Saturday, May 4, 2024, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (AP Photo/Michael Laughlin)

Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi falls on New York Red Bulls midfielder Daniel Edelman during the first half of an MLS soccer game, Saturday, May 4, 2024, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (AP Photo/Michael Laughlin)

Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi falls on New York Red Bulls midfielder Daniel Edelman during the first half of an MLS soccer game, Saturday, May 4, 2024, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (AP Photo/Michael Laughlin)

The six goal contributions, five assists and five assists in a half were all MLS records.

Messi, who earned the MLS Player of the Month Award for April, has now scored and assisted in six consecutive league matches.

“It has become redundant but it appears that he is always making history,” Inter Miami coach Gerardo “Tata” Martino said. “If something was missing, it was this — to contribute in six goals.”

Luis Suárez had three goals and Matias Rojas scored twice as Inter Miami got six unanswered goals to come back from a 1-0 halftime deficit. Messi and Suárez now have a league-leading 10 goals each, helping keep Inter Miami (7-2-3, 24 points) atop the Eastern Conference.

The win extended Miami’s unbeaten string to six. The streak began after a 4-0 loss at New York on April 20, in which Messi did not play because of an injury.

“When he is not available, obviously, the team feels it,” Martino said.

Miami began the rout with Rojas’ equalizer in the 48th minute. Messi centered a pass to Rojas whose left-footed shot landed under the crossbar.

Suárez then fed a charging Messi with a touch pass and he beat New York goalkeeper Carlos Coronel with a shot from 15 yards.

Rojas made it 3-1 with his second goal in the 62nd minute on an assist from Messi. The 28-year-old Rojas joined Inter Miami on April 23 and entered the match to start the second half.

“This is the ultimate satisfaction for a goal scorer,” Rojas said. “It makes it even more special because we accomplished it at home.”

Messi then contributed on former Barcelona teammate Suárez’s first goal in the 69th minute.

“Leo makes it easier for all of us,” Suárez said. “We know each other long enough. When we are on the pitch, we know how to spot each other without looking.”

Suárez also struck in the 75th and 81st minutes before the Red Bulls (4-2-5, 17 points) closed the scoring on Emil Forsberg’s penalty kick in stoppage time.

“We have many players that are capable of scoring,” Martino said. “At some points in the match we are going to find favorable moments. The issue is how we limit the unfavorable moments.”

New York controlled possession early and eventually capitalized on a Miami defensive breakdown that resulted in Dante Vanzeir’s goal in the 30th minute. José Carmona ran deep into the right wing of the large area and blasted a shot that bounced off the far post. An unmarked Vanzeir retrieved the deflection and converted from 15 yards.

Messi had his only scoring opportunity of the first half in the 24th minute, when Coronel stopped his shot from the edge of the penalty area.

Messi’s former Barcelona teammate Jordi Alba missed his third straight game because of a hamstring injury.

Both clubs will continue MLS play next Saturday. Inter Miami visits CF Montreal while the Red Bulls play host to New England.

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

Inter Miami defender Franco Negri, left, protects the ball from New York Red Bulls midfielder Emil Forsberg during the second half of an MLS soccer game, Saturday, May 4, 2024, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (AP Photo/Michael Laughlin)

Inter Miami defender Franco Negri, left, protects the ball from New York Red Bulls midfielder Emil Forsberg during the second half of an MLS soccer game, Saturday, May 4, 2024, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (AP Photo/Michael Laughlin)

Inter Miami's Marcelo Weigandt, left, controls the ball in front of New York Red Bulls forward Elias Manoel (11) during the second half of an MLS soccer game, Saturday, May 4, 2024, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (AP Photo/Michael Laughlin)

Inter Miami's Marcelo Weigandt, left, controls the ball in front of New York Red Bulls forward Elias Manoel (11) during the second half of an MLS soccer game, Saturday, May 4, 2024, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (AP Photo/Michael Laughlin)

New York Red Bulls midfielder Emil Forsberg advances the ball past Inter Miami defender Nicolás Freire (21) during the second half of an MLS soccer game, Saturday, May 4, 2024, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (AP Photo/Michael Laughlin)

New York Red Bulls midfielder Emil Forsberg advances the ball past Inter Miami defender Nicolás Freire (21) during the second half of an MLS soccer game, Saturday, May 4, 2024, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (AP Photo/Michael Laughlin)

Inter Miami midfielder Matias Rojas, bottom leeft, celebrates after a goal against the New York Red Bulls during the second half of an MLS soccer game Saturday, May 4, 2024, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (AP Photo/Michael Laughlin)

Inter Miami midfielder Matias Rojas, bottom leeft, celebrates after a goal against the New York Red Bulls during the second half of an MLS soccer game Saturday, May 4, 2024, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (AP Photo/Michael Laughlin)

Inter Miami players celebrate after a goal against the New York Red Bulls during the second half of an MLS soccer game, Saturday, May 4, 2024, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (AP Photo/Michael Laughlin)

Inter Miami players celebrate after a goal against the New York Red Bulls during the second half of an MLS soccer game, Saturday, May 4, 2024, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (AP Photo/Michael Laughlin)

New York Red Bulls defender Kyle Duncan (6) advances the ball against Inter Miami during the second half of an MLS soccer game, Saturday, May 4, 2024, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (AP Photo/Michael Laughlin)

New York Red Bulls defender Kyle Duncan (6) advances the ball against Inter Miami during the second half of an MLS soccer game, Saturday, May 4, 2024, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (AP Photo/Michael Laughlin)

Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi runs into New York Red Bulls midfielder Daniel Edelman during the first half of an MLS soccer match Saturday, May 4, 2024, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (AP Photo/Michael Laughlin)

Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi runs into New York Red Bulls midfielder Daniel Edelman during the first half of an MLS soccer match Saturday, May 4, 2024, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (AP Photo/Michael Laughlin)

Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi dribbles the ball during the first half of an MLS soccer game against the New York Red Bulls, Saturday, May 4, 2024, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (AP Photo/Michael Laughlin)

Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi dribbles the ball during the first half of an MLS soccer game against the New York Red Bulls, Saturday, May 4, 2024, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (AP Photo/Michael Laughlin)

Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi falls on New York Red Bulls midfielder Daniel Edelman during the first half of an MLS soccer game, Saturday, May 4, 2024, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (AP Photo/Michael Laughlin)

Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi falls on New York Red Bulls midfielder Daniel Edelman during the first half of an MLS soccer game, Saturday, May 4, 2024, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (AP Photo/Michael Laughlin)

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — A divisive mobilization law in Ukraine came into force on Saturday, as Kyiv struggles to boost troop numbers after Russia launched a new offensive that some fear could close in on Ukraine’s second-largest city.

The legislation, which was watered down from its original draft, will make it easier to identify every conscript in the country. It also provides incentives to soldiers, such as cash bonuses or money toward buying a house or car, that some analysts say Ukraine cannot afford.

Lawmakers dragged their feet for months and only passed the law in mid-April, a week after Ukraine lowered the age for men who can be drafted from 27 to 25. The measures reflect the growing strain that more than two years of war with Russia has had on Ukraine’s forces, who are trying to hold the front lines in fighting that has sapped the country’s ranks and stores of weapons and ammunition.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also signed two other laws Friday, allowing prisoners to join the army and increasing fines for draft dodgers fivefold. Russia enlisted its prisoners early on in the war, and personnel shortages compelled Ukraine to adopt the new, controversial measures.

Oleksii, 68, who runs a car repair shop in Kyiv, worries his business will have to shut down as he expects 70% of his workers will be mobilized. He asked that only his first name be used to allow him to speak freely.

“With the new law, people will be mobilized and we will have to shut down and stop paying taxes,” Oleksii told The Associated Press on Saturday. He said it's very difficult to replace workers because of their specialized skills. Most of them are already in the armed forces, he said, adding that the law is “unfair” and “unclear.”

Even essential municipal services will be affected. Viktor Kaminsky, the head of a municipal service department in Kyiv that fits households with heating and repairs utilities in public buildings, said he will struggle to replace mobilized staff and meet demand, even though the law allows him to retain half of workers deemed fit for service.

He said 60 of the 220 people working in Kaminsky's department will be eligible to be called up. “If they take 30 people from what we have, the problem is we don’t have anyone to replace them," he said.

“There are pros and cons to this law,” Kaminsky said. “It's hard to avoid the mobilization process now, compared to before when people were trying to get around it.” But, he said, it would be better if essential workers like his were granted more exemptions.

Ukraine has struggled for months to replenish depleted forces, as Russian troops are pushing ahead with a ground offensive that opened a new front in the northeast and put further pressure on Kyiv’s overstretched military. After weeks of probing, Moscow launched the new push knowing that Ukraine suffered personnel shortages, and that its forces have been spread thin in the northeastern Kharkiv region.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday during a visit to China that the Russian push aims to create “a buffer zone” rather than capturing Kharkiv, the local capital and Ukraine’s second-largest city.

Still, Moscow’s forces have pummeled Kharkiv with strikes in recent weeks, hitting civilian and energy infrastructure and prompting angry accusations from Zelenskyy that the Russian leadership sought to reduce the city to rubble. On Friday, Mayor Ihor Terekhov said that Russian guided bombs killed at least three residents and injured 28 others that day.

Moscow denies deliberately targeting civilians, but thousands have died or suffered injuries in the more than 27 months of fighting.

The U.S. last week announced a new $400 million package of military aid for Ukraine, and President Joe Biden has promised that he would rush badly needed weaponry to the country to help it stave off Russian advances. Still, only small batches of U.S. military aid have started to trickle into the front line, according to Ukrainian military commanders, who said it will take at least two months before supplies meet Kyiv’s needs to hold the line.

Rusyn is the head of recruitment for the 3rd Assault Brigade, one of the most popular among Ukrainian volunteers. He told AP that he saw a 15% increase in men joining the brigade, which fights in eastern Ukraine, in the past months. Most recruits are aged between 23-25, he said. For security reasons, he and his recruits asked to be identified by their call signs only.

“There is no alternative (to mobilization),” said Rohas, a 26-year old recruit. “One way or another, I believe that most men will end up in the ranks of the armed forces and by joining as a volunteer, you still get some preferences.”

“Those who are afraid of being mobilized are not the ones hostage to this situation, it's those (soldiers) who are standing in formations of three where there should be 10. Those guys are hostages to this situation and they should be replaced, so that’s why we are here," Rohas said.

Many Ukrainians have fled the country to avoid the draft since Russia’s all-out invasion in February 2022.

The Supreme Court last month said that 930 people were convicted of avoiding mobilization in 2023, a fivefold increase from the previous year.

Around 768,000 Ukrainian men aged 18-64 had been granted temporary protection in European Union countries as of last November, according to data from the bloc's statistical agency, Eurostat.

Kyiv has barred men under 60 from leaving the country since the start of the war, but some are exempt, including those who are disabled or have three or more dependents. The Eurostat data does not specify how many of the men who have qualified for protection belong to these categories, nor how many others reached the EU from Ukraine's Russian-occupied territories in the east and south.

Unable to cross the border legally, some Ukrainian men risk death trying to swim across a river that separates Ukraine from neighboring Romania and Hungary.

Late on Friday, Ukraine’s border service said that at least 30 people have died trying to cross the Tisza River since the full scale-invasion.

Romanian border guards days earlier retrieved the near-naked, disfigured body of a man that appeared to have been floating in the Tisza for days, and is the 30th known casualty, the Ukrainian agency said in an online statement. It said the man has not yet been identified.

Kozlowska reported from London. Associated Press writer Alex Babenko in Kyiv, Ukraine contributed to this report.

——

Follow AP’s coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

Newly recruited soldiers of the 3rd assault brigade train in Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, May 17, 2024. A divisive mobilisation law in Ukraine came into force on Saturday, as Kyiv struggles to boost troop numbers after Russia launched a new offensive. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)

Newly recruited soldiers of the 3rd assault brigade train in Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, May 17, 2024. A divisive mobilisation law in Ukraine came into force on Saturday, as Kyiv struggles to boost troop numbers after Russia launched a new offensive. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)

Newly recruited soldiers of the 3rd assault brigade train in Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, May 17, 2024. A divisive mobilisation law in Ukraine came into force on Saturday, as Kyiv struggles to boost troop numbers after Russia launched a new offensive. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)

Newly recruited soldiers of the 3rd assault brigade train in Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, May 17, 2024. A divisive mobilisation law in Ukraine came into force on Saturday, as Kyiv struggles to boost troop numbers after Russia launched a new offensive. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)

A newly recruited soldier of the 3rd assault brigade trains, in Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, May 17, 2024. A divisive mobilisation law in Ukraine came into force on Saturday, as Kyiv struggles to boost troop numbers after Russia launched a new offensive. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)

A newly recruited soldier of the 3rd assault brigade trains, in Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, May 17, 2024. A divisive mobilisation law in Ukraine came into force on Saturday, as Kyiv struggles to boost troop numbers after Russia launched a new offensive. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)

Newly recruited soldiers of the 3rd assault brigade train in Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, May 17, 2024. A divisive mobilisation law in Ukraine came into force on Saturday, as Kyiv struggles to boost troop numbers after Russia launched a new offensive. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)

Newly recruited soldiers of the 3rd assault brigade train in Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, May 17, 2024. A divisive mobilisation law in Ukraine came into force on Saturday, as Kyiv struggles to boost troop numbers after Russia launched a new offensive. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)

Newly recruited soldiers of the 3rd assault brigade train in Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, May 17, 2024. A divisive mobilisation law in Ukraine came into force on Saturday, as Kyiv struggles to boost troop numbers after Russia launched a new offensive. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)

Newly recruited soldiers of the 3rd assault brigade train in Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, May 17, 2024. A divisive mobilisation law in Ukraine came into force on Saturday, as Kyiv struggles to boost troop numbers after Russia launched a new offensive. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)

Oleksii, 68, director of the auto repair shop poses for photo in Kyiv region, Ukraine, Saturday, May 18, 2024. A divisive mobilisation law in Ukraine came into force on Saturday, as Kyiv struggles to boost troop numbers after Russia launched a new offensive. (AP Photo/Alex Babenko)

Oleksii, 68, director of the auto repair shop poses for photo in Kyiv region, Ukraine, Saturday, May 18, 2024. A divisive mobilisation law in Ukraine came into force on Saturday, as Kyiv struggles to boost troop numbers after Russia launched a new offensive. (AP Photo/Alex Babenko)

A newly recruited soldier of the 3rd assault brigade trains, in Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, May 17, 2024. A divisive mobilisation law in Ukraine came into force on Saturday, as Kyiv struggles to boost troop numbers after Russia launched a new offensive. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)

A newly recruited soldier of the 3rd assault brigade trains, in Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, May 17, 2024. A divisive mobilisation law in Ukraine came into force on Saturday, as Kyiv struggles to boost troop numbers after Russia launched a new offensive. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)

Smoke rises after a Russian attack in Kharkiv, Ukraine, Friday, May 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

Smoke rises after a Russian attack in Kharkiv, Ukraine, Friday, May 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

People walk on a street while smoke rises after a Russian attack in Kharkiv, Ukraine, Friday, May 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

People walk on a street while smoke rises after a Russian attack in Kharkiv, Ukraine, Friday, May 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

Foreign journalists report from an observation point while smoke rises after a Russian attack in Kharkiv, Ukraine, Friday, May 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

Foreign journalists report from an observation point while smoke rises after a Russian attack in Kharkiv, Ukraine, Friday, May 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

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