After being knocked out in the first round last year, Inter Miami is in the playoff quarterfinals for the first time. The Florida club owes this to a stellar performance by Lionel Messi.
With two goals, a direct assist and a penultimate pass, Messi was once again the outstanding player for Inter Miami on Saturday evening (local time), who ultimately qualified for the MLS playoff quarterfinals with a 4-0 win over Nashville SC in the decisive game of the best-of-three series.
After the team led by former Hertha player Mukhtar had managed to equalize in front of their home crowd in Tennessee, bringing back memories of Inter’s early exit last year, Messi set the course for victory after just nine minutes this time. After a failed back pass from Nashville’s Corcoran, the Argentine set off on a solo run, was unstoppable, and sank the ball for an early lead.
After 39 minutes, the 38-year-old scored his second goal into an empty net after Silvetti’s assist, before shining as a playmaker in the final stages. However, it was Jordi Alba who made it 3-0 after a one-two with Messi for Allende, who three minutes later scored the best goal of the evening with a lob—after a through ball from Messi—to seal the final score and also score twice.
Mascherano: “To see him pressing like that at 38 is incredible.”
“I would like to congratulate Leo on his performance,” said coach Javier Mascherano. “To see him pressing like that at 38 is incredible. We all know Leo’s skills with the ball, but what Leo showed today without the ball was impressive.”
Miami will now face Cincinnati FC in the quarterfinals, who also won their best-of-three series against Columbus Crew 2-1 in the evening. The duel between Minnesota United and the Seattle Sounders turned into a thriller, with the latter losing 6-7 in a penalty shootout. Minnesota’s next opponent will be decided on Monday night when San Diego and the Portland Timbers face off in the decisive third game.
