Messi scores twice to lead Inter Miami to win, 1-0 series lead over Nashville

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Lionel Messi made it official earlier this week that he would end his professional playing career with Inter Miami after signing a three-year contract extension.

But for Messi and, in particular, for two of his soon-to-be-retiring teammates, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba, this season is their last chance to win an MLS Cup together.

Led by Messi’s two goals and an assist, Inter Miami showed a sense of urgency on Friday night and put together a dominant performance in a 3-1 victory over Nashville SC in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series at Chase Stadium.

Inter Miami took a 1-0 lead in the best-of-3 series just a week after beating Nashville on its home field in the regular season finale for both sides. Inter Miami will return to Nashville to play Game 2 next Saturday at 7:30 with a chance to close out the series and advance to the Eastern Conference semifinals against either FC Cincinnati or the Columbus Crew.

“The first few minutes things were even, and as it went we adjusted, and the truth is the guys did a great job,” Inter Miami coach Javier Mascherano said. “We’re happy to win the first, but this is just starting. Now it’s time to rest and start preparing for next Saturday’s game. They’re still a talented team with a lot of great players who can hurt you.”

Inter Miami, which won the Supporter’s Shield last season and then fell far short of expectations last season after losing in the first round against Atlanta United, played with the intensity of a team determined not to let history repeat itself.

Messi was the catalyst for the effort.

He opened the evening by accepting his MLS Golden Boot award from league Commissioner Don Garber during an on-field pregame ceremony.

Messi earned the honor by scoring a league-high 29 goals this season.

He delivered another goal just 19 minutes into the match on a fantastic diving header off a long cross from Luis Suarez to spark Inter Miami’s evening. He capped it with Miami’s final tally in the 96th minute as he kicked home a rebound after Nashville goalkeeper Joe Willis couldn’t control a long shot by Alba.

Messi had a hand in Inter Miami’s second goal in the 62nd minute as Tadeo Allende added to the club’s advantage off assists from Ian Fray and Messi.

Inter Miami also did an excellent job on defense as it nearly recorded its first shutout victory in an MLS playoff match in franchise history. Hany Mukhtar ruined the clean sheet by scoring in the final minute of second-half stoppage time for Nashville’s lone score.

Rocco Rios Novo made his fourth consecutive start in goal.

Rios Novo took over as the team’s regular starter in goal after Oscar Ustari was benched following Inter Miami’s 5-3 loss to Chicago on Sept. 30.

Rios Novo has allowed four goals during his four starts, including two in last week’s 5-2 win over Nashville.

Inter Miami remained unbeaten across all competitions in games in which Rios Novo plays. The club also improved to 8-0-3 in 11 such matches.

“We’ve seen Rocco play well. It’s nothing against Oscar,” Mascherano said. “Ultimately, it’s my decision, but I communicate well with our goaltending coach, and we’ve seen good things from Rocco.”

Inter Miami’s back line often frustrated and limited Nashville’s top scorer Sam Surridge throughout the match, holding him to under 10 touches deep into the second half. Surridge’s best chance came in the final minutes of second-half stoppage time, but he hit the crossbar in the 101st minute.

Busquets gained control of the ball just past midfield near the sideline and fed the ball to Rodrigo De Paul, who looped it to Messi on the run. Messi dropped it to his right to Suarez, rushed to the goal and tracked the return ball, connecting with it perfectly to get it past Nashville goalkeeper Joe Willis.

Messi has 39 goals across all competitions this year, and is the heavy favorite to win his second consecutive league MVP honor. Messi also finished as the co-league leader in assists with 19.

Inter Miami, which never led by more than one goal in last year’s first-round series against Atlanta United, took such an advantage when Allende scored on a header off a perfect long cross from Fray. Messi began the rush and fed the ball to Fray in the far corner before he fired his cross precisely to Allende.

Allende scored his 17th goal of the season, which is the third-most on the team behind Messi and Suarez.

Should Messi win MVP honors again, he would become the first player in league history to win the award in back-to-back seasons. Inter Miami’s valuation has more than doubled since Messi’s arrival, according to Sportico, climbing to $1.19 billion as of January 2025 — up from an estimated $600 million in mid-2023 — making it one of the most valuable clubs in MLS. According to Forbes, Inter Miami’s team value is $1.2 billion, which ranks it among the world’s most valuable soccer teams.

“He’s the unicorn of unicorns,” Garber said. “There’s something about the way he’s wired. He’s thinking about the game the way no one ever has. His intensity and his desire to win is what makes him the greatest of all time. He has this special sauce that has him so focused on what he needs to do to win games.”