Lionel Messi stole the show again as Miam win comfortably

Nashville SC 2 – 5 Inter Miami

NASHVILLE, TN–A sensational hat trick from Inter Miami captain Lionel Messi saw his side end the regular season in style with a thumping win on the road.

Undoubtedly the team’s most prolific source of goals, Messi’s haul against Nashville confirmed him as the season’s top scorer in the MLS with twenty-nine goals in twenty-eight appearances.

With both sides having safely secured their spots in the playoffs, neither showed much urgency and the game had a slow start with Nashville looking the brighter of the two.

Rios Novo had a routine save to make when Jacob Shaffleburg’s header called the keeper into his first piece of defensive action. And it wasn’t long before he was busy again.A delightful cross from Patrick Yazbeck found the head of Alex Muyl, but his header lacked any real penetration, although Rios Novo still had to be alert to the danger.

Messi was being closed down and held up as Nashville’s hard-working midfielders denied the Miami captain any time or space.

Surridge came close when he latched on to a corner that was blocked by Max Falcone and moments later again it was the young keeper to the recuse when Edvard Tagseth’s shot was creeping into the far corner but for a fine stop by Rios Novo.

It was an exciting game and the first half ebbed and flowed throughout, with the home side taking the game to Miami and reducing the visitors to minimal attacking opportunities.

Nashville were creating chances and Hany Mukhtar should have opened the scoring when he was clean through, but he hit his shot high and wide when he should have at least hit the target. It came back to haunt them soon after when Messi received the ball on his chest and then jinked his way to within range of the goal. His shot curled around the hand of Joe Willis and found the corner of the net. It was a blow for the home team who had been the better side by far, but they hadn’t taken their chances. Surridge was as guilty as anyone with a number of good openings that were missed.

But the young striker eventually got his goal when he played a neat one two with Mukhtar and found the net to draw his side level just before half time. And it got better when Shaffleburg slotted home a deflection off the post to give his side a well-deserved lead going into the break.

Miami came out firing in the second half and started to dominate the game. And the pressure soon told when they were awarded a penalty for handball. It seemed a little harsh, but Messi made no mistake to get his side back on level terms. Baltasar Rodriguez then helped his team take the lead when a Luis Suarez shot was saved and fell for the young Argentine to poke home.

The second half was a reverse of the first, as Miami were now dictating play and dominating possession. They started to build from the back and pick their chances to put Nashville to the sword.

Messi wrapped up his hat trick with ten minutes left to play. A neat one-two with Ian Fray saw the goal open up and he found the net with a fine strike to get a treble in the last game of the season for the second season in a row.

And they weren’t finished yet. Messi became provider when he slipped the ball in for Telasco Segovia who scored into an empty net as Miami added the glitz to a fine second half performance.

They’ll do it all again when they meet in the play offs at Chase Stadium on Friday night for another big showdown.

Photos by Faith Wood

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