The Lionel Messi effect! Inter Miami vs Sporting Kansas City smashes attendance record as Herons record important win in front of over 70,000 fans

Sporting KC shifted their clash against Inter Miami to the Arrowhead Stadium, which plays host to Superbowl champions, the Kansas City Chiefs, in anticipation of a massive crowd interested in watching the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner play live alongside Luis Suarez, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba. The Herons won the thrilling contest thanks to goals from the former Barcelona forwards and Diego Gomez.

Sporting KC's anticipations of a massive crowd were proved correct as the match saw an official attendance of 72,610. It became the most-watched football match in the history of Missouri and also became the fourth most-watched Major League Soccer clash.

The goalscorer of the Herons' first goal, Gomez, spoke to the media after the match, he said [via Miami Herald]: "We are very happy with this victory, it helps a lot after the game we lost against Monterrey.

"This will help us for what comes up next in the season. It was indescribable how it felt playing in such a big, beautiful stadium."

The Herons were knocked out of the CONCACAF Champions Cup in midweek by Monterrey. However, the win at Arrowhead Stadium has put them atop the Eastern Conference. They will now be in action when they take on Nashville on April 21.