Messi’s brace leads Miami to 1st playoff series win
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Lionel Messi scored twice in the first half as Inter Miami defeated Nashville SC 4–0 at Chase Stadium on Saturday, securing the club’s first-ever playoff series victory and a place in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
Inter Miami clinched the best-of-three Round 1 series 2–1 and will next face second-seeded FC Cincinnati at TQL Stadium in Ohio. Midfielder Tadeo Allende sealed the result with two late goals, while goalkeeper Rocco Ríos Novo kept a clean sheet—the team’s first of the 2025 postseason.
Head coach Javier Mascherano praised his side’s dominant performance.
“I think the team played almost perfectly,” Mascherano said. “We were very organized, pressed high, and maintained intensity from the first minute. I’m proud because the players understood the magnitude of this moment for the club.”
Inter Miami entered the match without suspended striker Luis Suárez, who missed the game following a one-match ban for violent conduct in Game 2. His absence opened a starting spot for 19-year-old Mateo Silvetti, who provided the assist for Messi’s second goal.
Messi opened the scoring in the 10th minute with a precise low strike into the bottom-right corner before doubling Miami’s advantage before halftime. The Argentine captain then turned provider in the closing stages, setting up Allende for his second goal of the night.
“Maybe right now one doesn’t realize it, but tomorrow it will hit me that I assisted Messi for a goal,” Silvetti said. “It’s already an honor to share the field with him.”
Messi, who won the MLS Golden Boot in the regular season, finished the series with five goals and now has 12 in seven career matches against Nashville—the most he has scored against any opponent since joining Inter Miami in July 2023.
For Miami, the result marks a breakthrough after previous early playoff exits in 2022 and 2024. Last season, despite winning the Supporters’ Shield, the club fell to Atlanta in the opening round.
Mascherano acknowledged that overcoming past disappointment added motivation.
“It would have been very unfair to be eliminated at this stage,” he said. “What happened last year left a mark, but now it’s behind us. We look forward with confidence.”
Saturday’s win also extended the careers of veteran teammates Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets, who are set to retire at season’s end.
The Miami–Cincinnati winner will advance to face either top-seeded Philadelphia Union or fifth-seeded New York City FC in the Eastern Conference final.