Lionel Messi tallied four goals in a single Major League Soccer contest for the first time in his career, powering host Inter Miami to a decisive 7-1 victory over Montreal on Saturday night and ending a five-game winless run across all competitions.

Messi erased a 1-1 tie just before the break, then struck again in the 52nd minute, added a third in the 83rd minute, and finished with a free-kick strike in the sixth minute of second-half stoppage time. He now leads the MLS Golden Boot race with 18 goals, moving ahead of Dallas forward Petar Musa who sits on 16. Musa and his club visit St. Louis City SC on Sunday.

This performance marked the ninth occasion in Messi's professional career that he has scored four or more times in one match.

Inter Miami improved to 12-4-6 with 42 points while Montreal fell to 5-11-6 with 21 points after seeing its four-game unbeaten streak in league play come to an end.

Casemiro, Luis Suarez, and rookie Alexander Shaw each contributed one goal apiece.

Assistant coach Perez leads match after Hoyos suspension

Inter Miami assistant Rafael Perez took charge on the sideline while Guillermo Hoyos observed from a stadium suite. Hoyos served a suspension for repeated violations of the league's Late Kickoff Policy. He will soon hand over duties to Argentine Kily Gonzalez, who was appointed this week but awaits clearance to join the squad in the United States.

Casemiro opened the scoring in the 20th minute by heading home a corner delivered by Telasco Segovia.

Montreal equalized in the 37th minute through Fabian Herbers, who netted his first goal of the campaign. Noah Streit collected a long ball inside the box and laid it off for Herbers, who fired past Miami goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair. The strike was the 21st of Herbers' career.

Messi responded in the 40th minute by curling a free kick inside the near post beyond the reach of Montreal goalkeeper Thomas Gillier.

Messi's second goal showcased individual brilliance as he slipped past three defenders before finishing past Gillier. Suarez struck in the 80th minute on a counterattack, and Shaw added his goal in the 89th minute during just his third MLS appearance.