Messi brace lifts Inter Miami to edge past Nashville SC

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 Major League Soccer (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.

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, 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.