Miami: Lionel Messi marked his return to club football following his retirement from international duty with Argentina by scoring twice as Inter Miami cruised to a 4-0 victory over DC United in Major League Soccer (MLS) on Saturday night.

Playing just four days after his farewell appearance for Argentina, which brought his 21-year international career to an end, Messi delivered another impressive performance, taking his season's tally to a league-leading 23 goals.

The Argentine superstar played the full 90 minutes, helping Inter Miami end a five-match winless run that had included four draws and one defeat.

Luis Suárez also netted twice, while Germán Berterame provided two assists as Miami secured their first victory since a commanding 7-1 win over CF Montreal on August 29.

The result also marked the first league victory for Inter Miami's new head coach, Cristian “Kily” González, who took charge on September 16.

Suárez gives Inter Miami a flying start

Inter Miami wasted little time asserting their dominance, with Suárez opening the scoring just three minutes into the contest.

The Uruguayan striker collected a headed pass from Berterame before firing a shot past DC United goalkeeper Sean Johnson and inside the left post.

Suárez doubled Miami's advantage in the 39th minute following another attacking move involving Messi and Berterame.

Johnson initially denied Messi with a save from close range, but the rebound fell to Berterame, who headed the ball towards Suárez inside the six-yard box. The striker made no mistake from close range, completing his brace and sending Miami into halftime with a 2-0 lead.

Messi strikes twice after halftime

Messi took centre stage shortly after the restart, scoring his first goal of the night in the 47th minute.

Suárez delivered a pass towards the six-yard box, where Messi collected the ball and calmly guided his finish inside the right post to extend Miami's lead to 3-0.

The eight-time Ballon d'Or winner struck again in the 60th minute, producing a fine individual effort to complete the rout.

After receiving a pass from fellow Argentine Rodrigo De Paul, Messi advanced into the penalty area, evaded two DC United defenders and beat Johnson with a shot from 12 yards.

His second goal took his MLS tally to 23 for the season, strengthening his position at the top of the league's scoring charts.

Inter Miami return to winning ways

The victory provided a timely boost for Inter Miami, who had struggled to secure results in their previous five league outings.

For González, the emphatic win offered a significant breakthrough after taking charge of the club last month.

DC United, meanwhile, saw their winless streak stretch to five matches as they failed to contain Miami's attacking combination of Messi and Suárez.

Inter Miami will look to build on the result when they host New York City FC on Wednesday night, while DC United will attempt to end their poor run when they face the New York Red Bulls on the same day.