FORT LAUDERDALE.- With two goals from Lionel Messihe Inter Miami beat this Saturday 4-0 at Nashville SC and surpassed the initial round of the North American League playoffs (MLS) for the first time in its history.
He is also Argentine Tadeo Allende He added to the beating with another double for Miami, which won this first round series by a 2-1 aggregate.
Three steps away from their first league title, Inter will face the FC Cincinnati in the Eastern Conference semifinal, a single-game tie that will be played as a visitor.
This Saturday, in a game of life or death, two early goals from Messi chased away the ghosts of last year’s defeat in this same first round against Atlanta, an unthinkable elimination in the Argentine star’s first playoffs with the pink shirt.
“What happened last year had remained a bit in the atmosphere and you could see that fear that it could happen again,” the coach acknowledged. Javier Mascherano before the press. “That is now in the past, forgotten, and we can look forward.”
Messi opened the scoring in Fort Lauderdale (outside Miami) in the 10th minute, when he benefited from a rebound after pressure on the wing from his teammate Ian Fray to the young man Matthew Corcoran.
The Albiceleste captain made a diagonal slalom to the rival area and, in the middle of three defenders, he took a low shot out of his hat that left the goalkeeper standing. Joe Willis.
The second goal, which finally calmed the nerves at Chase Stadium, came from a long pass from Jordi Alba to the Argentine’s career Mateo Silvetti.
The forward, 19 years old, substitute for the sanctioned Luis Suarezreceived the ball after a failure in the center back’s clearance Walker Zimmerman and gave way back to Messi who, for once, only had to push the ball into the empty goal.
At 38 years old, the Argentine scored five goals against Nashville in the three games of this series and has accumulated a total of 14 in the last 10 games.
“Impressive” Messi
In addition to his usual offensive display, Mascherano this time credited Messi for his contribution to a defense that prevented Nashville from shooting on goal throughout the first half.
“He was the first to guide us in high blood pressure. Seeing him push like that at 38 years old is crazy,” said ‘El Jefecito’. “We all already know about Leo with the ball, but what Leo did without the ball today was impressive.”
After the break, Nashville SC had a timid reaction from its figure, the German Hany Mukhtar.
The visitors did not take advantage of their moment and Inter made them pay with the third goal in the 73rd minute, in a tackle and cross from Alba that Allende finished off without opposition.
The Argentine attacker himself put a luxurious close to the happy night in Miami by completing an assist from Messi with a subtle touch over goalkeeper Willis.
Inter, franchise co-owned by David Beckhamthus breaking the barrier of the first round, which it had crashed into twice since entering the MLS in 2020.
The Floridian club continues to take steps since Messi’s high-profile signing in 2023, after achieving the first title in its history in the Leagues Cup that year and breaking the record for points in a regular phase of the MLS in 2024.
The classification incidentally prevented Alba and Sergio Busquetswho will retire at the end of the season, will hang up their boots with a new disappointment in the MLS.
“Today was a different day,” Alba acknowledged in statements to Apple TV. “Here you never know when it will be your last game and today there was the option that it would be my last, but thank God we won and the team has been very good.”
