3-1! The 38-year-old Messi scored two goals. Miami International won the first round and was one step away from promotion.

On October 25, the MLS playoffs officially started, with the focus of the 1/8 finals, Inter Miami facing Nashville.

Looking at the regular season records of the two teams, Miami has 19 wins and 8 draws, ranking third in the Eastern Conference with 65 points; Nashville has 16 wins and 6 draws, ranking sixth in the Eastern Conference with 54 points. Comparing the records of previous encounters, Miami has the absolute upper hand and has maintained unbeatable victories in the past five games, which will undoubtedly make them the more favored side.

[Game Report]

Miami launched a fast break, and the tacit cooperation of Sumei's connection directly defeated the defense. In the 19th minute, Suarez made a precise forward pass from the outside, and Messi jumped into the net from close range. Excellent running and smooth finishing, it is a rare way to score a goal. Nashville didn't have many chances, and the occasional corner kick it created was ineffective.

The two sides started a battle in the midfield. It was not easy for Miami to advance smoothly, especially the core players would always encounter fierce fouls from the opponent. They could only maintain their formation and patiently look for loopholes. Allende's single shot was blocked by the goalkeeper and missed the opportunity. Suarez's volley from the penalty area was confiscated. After a hard battle, there was no success for the time being. The score stayed at 1-0 in the first half.

Returning to the contest in the second half, in the 62nd minute, Messi took the ball from the wing to observe the movements of his teammates, and passed the ball forward. Frey got the ball forward and swept the ball in front of the goal. Allende jumped up and headed the ball successfully, and Miami made another victory. The situation was quite impressive, and they were able to control it patiently.

Now that all the pressure is on Nashville, the head coach immediately made substitutions and adjustments in an attempt to improve the offense. Unfortunately, there has been no actual gain. As time goes by, it seems to be drifting away.

Miami's strategy of playing steadily did not give its opponents an opportunity to take advantage of it. In the 97th minute of stoppage time, Alba's cross caused a melee in front of the goal. The 38-year-old Messi cleverly shot and scored twice. In the final countdown, Mukhtar directly scored with a free kick to regain the victory. They won 3-1. They took the lead in the first round and were only one step away from promotion.