Lionel Messi recorded a hat-trick and added an assist, while Baltasar Rodriguez scored the tie-breaking goal as visiting Inter Miami used a second-half assault to defeat Nashville SC 5-2 in a Decision Day matchup on Saturday night.
Telasco Segovia also scored for Inter Miami (19-7-8, 65 points), who won their third straight game. Miami will be the No 3 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs and faces a rematch with No 6 Nashville in the first round.
Sam Surridge and Jacob Shaffelburg scored goals for Nashville (16-12-6, 54 points), which did not allow a shot over the first 34 minutes before being badly exposed in the second half.
Messi was a clear winner in the 2025 MLS Golden Boot race, finishing the regular season with 29 goals. Los Angeles FC’s Denis Bouanga (24 goals) and Surridge (24 goals) were the next-best. The 38-year-old also led the league in assists, with 19.
Rocco Rios Novo made five saves for Miami, while Nashville’s Joe Willis had four stops.
Nashville was nursing a 2-1 lead in the second half until Andy Najar was called for a handball.
Messi took the ensuing penalty kick in the 63rd minute and easily sent a left-footed shot into the left corner of the net to tie the match.
The goal energised Miami, and it moved ahead just four minutes later.
Luis Suarez took a right-footed shot that Willis knocked away. But the ball bounced over towards Rodriguez, who sent a right-footed shot past Willis to give Miami a 3-2 lead.
Messi was at it again in the 81st minute as he booted a left-footed shot into the lower left corner to make it 4-2.
In the first minute of second-half stoppage time, Messi had possession and closed in on Willis before feeding the wide-open Segovia, who kicked the ball into the net to finish off the flurry.
Miami outshot Nashville 17-15 and had a 9-7 edge in shots on target.
Nashville dominated play in the first half but led just 2-1 at halftime.
Miami’s initial shot came on Messi’s goal in the 34th minute. He received the ball from Jordi Alba and had three defenders to manoeuvre around before sending a left-footed shot into the left corner of the net.
Nashville responded in the 43rd minute when Hany Mukhtar sent a short centring pass to Surridge, who knocked in a header.
Nashville struck again in the sixth minute of first-half stoppage time. Mukhtar took a shot that caromed off the right goalpost, and the ball went directly to Shaffelburg, who knocked it home to put Nashville ahead.
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