Messi contributed a brace to Inter Miami eliminate Nashville 4-0
Lionel Messi with two goals helped Inter Miami secure the playoff victory over Nashville SC in the decisive game 4-0
Once again, the Argentine star Lionel Messi became the clutch player for Inter Miami, placing them on the threshold of their first Major League Soccer (MLS) semifinal by defeating Nashville SC 4-0, where his compatriot Tadeo Allende, in place of the suspended Luis Suarez, responded with a pair of goals goals.
A victory that reaffirms the Argentine star's importance to the Herons, dashing Tennessee's hopes of pulling off an upset and eliminating the Florida team, who withstood the most intense moments of the match and secured the crucial win.
Simply put, the visiting team had their "switch" flipped in the 10th minute with the first goal from the Argentine national team's leader. It was a move typical of the South American genius, as his teammate Ian Fray pressed the yellow-shirted players from the start and passed to Messi, who simply feinted past several opponents before unleashing a left-footed shot across goal, scoring a fantastic goal to make it 1-0.
Nashville fought back like wounded lions, but their best players, like Mukhtar, were stopped by both legal and illegal fouls, reducing their threat, while Mateo Silvetti... He combined with Jordi Alba and Rodrigo De Paul to create Messi's second goal when Silvetti had everything to finish, but preferred to pass back to Lionel, who then made it 2-0 in the 39th minute.
Tadeo Allende appeared
In the second half, Nashville started strong and came close to reducing the deficit with a move by Shaffelburg and Surridge that found the back of the net, but the referee disallowed it for a foul on Falcon, allowing the pink-clad team to keep a clean sheet.
It was then that Tadeo Allende appeared in the 72nd minute to take advantage of a triangular passing move between Jordi Alba, Messi, and Allende himself to make it 3-0 and motivate the Argentine to continue looking for more damage after a good substitution by Luis Suarez.who was absent due to his suspension imposed by MLS, and the striker responded with the fourth goal of the night and his second of the match, a shot from outside the box that left goalkeeper Willis with no chance for the final 4-0 score. In the 79th minute, Messi launched a counter-attack to his compatriot, who beat his opponents to face the goalkeeper on the edge of the area and beat him with a lobbed shot that left the visiting goalkeeper with no opportunity. In this way, Inter Miami changed the course of last season's tournament and now hope to continue their journey in the semifinals towards the grand final in search of a possible 2025 Major League Soccer title.

