Lionel Messi delivered a sensational performance with a hat trick and an assist, while Baltasar Rodriguez scored the go-ahead goal as Inter Miami stormed past Nashville SC 5-2 in a Decision Day clash on Saturday night.
Telasco Segovia also found the net for Miami (19-7-8, 65 points), who notched their third straight victory to secure the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs. They will now face sixth-seeded Nashville (16-12-6, 54 points) again in the opening round.
Sam Surridge and Jacob Shaffelburg were on target for Nashville, who controlled the first half but faltered badly after the break.
Messi capped the regular season with 29 goals, all but sealing the Golden Boot. Goalkeeper Rocco Rios Novo made five saves for Miami, while Joe Willis stopped four shots for Nashville.
Trailing 2-1 early in the second half, Miami drew level in the 63rd minute after a handball by Andy Najar. Messi calmly converted the ensuing penalty, curling a left-footed shot into the bottom corner.
Just four minutes later, Miami took the lead when Luis Suárez’s strike was parried by Willis, only for Rodriguez to pounce on the rebound and slot it home for a 3-2 advantage.
Messi added his third goal in the 81st minute, drilling another precise left-footed effort into the bottom corner to make it 4-2. In stoppage time, Messi turned provider, setting up Segovia for Miami’s fifth to seal the emphatic win.
Miami outshot Nashville 17-15, including a 9-7 edge in shots on target.
Nashville had dominated the first half, leading 2-1 at the break. Miami’s first shot came when Messi danced past three defenders in the 34th minute to score from Jordi Alba’s pass. Nashville equalized nine minutes later through Surridge’s header from Hany Mukhtar’s cross, and Shaffelburg gave them the lead in first-half stoppage time after Mukhtar’s shot rebounded off the post.
But from there, Messi and Miami took over — and never looked back.
