Miami (AFP) – Argentine superstar Lionel Messi scored twice to lift Inter Miami to a 3-1 victory over Nashville SC on Friday in the opening game of their MLS Cup round one playoff series. Tadeo Allende also scored for Inter, who took a 1-0 lead in the best-of-three series, with game two in Nashville on November 1.
Eight-time Ballon d’Or winner Messi was presented with the Golden Boot award before the game after topping the regular-season scoring chart with 29 goals in 28 games. He wasted no time in demonstrating how he earned it, putting Miami up 1-0 with a diving header off a pass from Luis Suarez in the 19th minute. Sergio Busquets had gained control of the ball near the sideline and passed to Rodrigo De Paul. De Paul found a charging Messi, who handed off to Suarez on the right and pressed forward to connect when Suarez fed it back.
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Allende’s header from a pass by Ian Fray put Miami up 2-0 in the 62nd minute. “We know that playoffs are tough, so we wanted to start with a win at home,” De Paul said. “Hopefully, this is just the beginning. The team did very well today in terms of intensity, focus, understanding the moments when to attack and when to defend. We showed that we are growing as a team, and that’s the most important thing.”
Messi made sure of the win nine minutes into second-half injury time when Nashville keeper Joe Willis leapt forward to stop a ball from Jordi Alba on the left wing but failed to corral it, leaving Messi to slot home. That meant Hany Mukhtar’s strike in the 11th and final minute of stoppage time was nothing but window dressing.
The victory comes a day after Messi inked a three-year contract extension that will keep the 38-year-old in Florida through 2028. That was music to the ears of MLS commissioner Don Garber, who was on hand to present Messi’s Golden Boot award. “I don’t think we ever could have imagined that Leo would have been able to deliver for this club, for this city and for this league the way he has,” Garber said. “He has reset the trajectory for Major League Soccer and we were already doing pretty well. And I think having three more years is just going to be another gift.”
De Paul said he was happy for Messi—and happy to have the all-time great on his team. “We see him every weekend, it’s an advantage,” he said. “We have to keep enjoying him. I’m very happy about the renewal because it means we’ll be together for a few more years, so I’m very pleased.”
Mascherano, whose side is chasing a first MLS Cup title, said Inter can’t afford to ease up, even though they have now beaten Nashville in two straight games, including an emphatic 5-2 win in the regular-season finale. “Nashville has a style and way of playing that can cause a lot of damage. We made many adjustments compared to the previous match, but it won’t be enough,” Mascherano said. “We have to keep improving.”
© 2024 AFP
