Lionel Messi and Tadeo Allende each scored twice as Inter Miami defeated Nashville 4-0 on Saturday, advancing in the MLS Cup playoffs.
The Argentine legend, Messi, 38, initiated the scoring in the 10th
minute, added another goal in the 39th, and assisted on Allende’s goals in the 73rd and 76th minutes, securing Miami’s victory.
With his two assists, Messi reached the 400-mark in his career – the most in the world.
Most Assists In Football History
| Rank | Player | Career Assists | Notable Clubs |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lionel Messi | 400 | Barcelona, PSG, Inter Miami |
| 2 | Thomas Muller | 303 | Bayern Munich |
| 3 | Luis Suarez | 298 | Ajax, Liverpool, Barcelona, Atlético Madrid, Inter Miami |
| 4 | Kevin De Bruyne | 286 | Manchester City |
| 5 | Angel Di María | 278 | Real Madrid, PSG, Juventus, Benfica |
| 6 | Cristiano Ronaldo | 276 | Manchester United, Real Madrid, Juventus, Al Nassr |
| 7 | Mesut Ozil | 262 | Real Madrid, Arsenal |
| 8 | Ryan Giggs | 258 | Manchester United |
| 9 | David Beckham | 256 | Manchester United, Real Madrid, LA Galaxy |
| 10 | Cesc Fabregas | 253 | Arsenal, Barcelona, Chelsea |
| 11 | Franck Ribery | 249 | Bayern Munich |
| 12 | Neymar Jr. | 244 | Barcelona, PSG, Al-Hilal |
| 13 | Xavi Hernandez | 237 | Barcelona, Al Sadd |
| 14 | Zlatan Ibrahimovic | 227 | Ajax, Inter, AC Milan, PSG, Man United |
| 15 | David Silva | 225 | Manchester City, Valencia, Real Sociedad |
| 16 | Zinedine Zidane | 218 | Juventus, Real Madrid |
| 17 | Karim Benzema | 211 | Lyon, Real Madrid, Al-Ittihad |
| 18 | Thierry Henry | 207 | Arsenal, Barcelona |
| 19 | Dani Alves | 199 | Sevilla, Barcelona, PSG |
| 20 | Andres Iniesta | 192 | Barcelona, Vissel Kobe, Emirates Club |
Inter Miami Beat Nashville SC 4-0
Inter Miami triumphed in the best-of-three Eastern Conference first round series 2-1, earning a second-round match against FC Cincinnati, who beat Columbus 2-1 in another series-deciding game.
Eight-time Ballon d’Or winner Messi ensured Miami avoided a third first-round exit in four seasons, having been eliminated by Atlanta last year and New York City in 2022.
In another match of the night, 10-man Minnesota United rallied to eliminate Seattle 7-6 on penalty kicks after a 3-3 draw in a Western Conference thriller, setting up a second-round match against Sunday’s winner between Portland and top seed San Diego.
Inter Miami was without star Uruguayan striker Luis Suarez, who was suspended for one game by MLS for violent conduct in last week’s loss at Nashville.
MLS season’s top goal-scorer Messi gave Miami an early lead, taking a deflected ball and racing to the top of the box to fire a left-footed shot into the lower right corner.
Messi doubled the margin six minutes before halftime, scoring with a left-footed shot from just outside the box off a pass from 19-year-old Argentine rookie striker Mateo Silvetti.
Allende scored his first goal from point blank range off passes from Messi and Jordi Alba, then took a long pass from Messi and chipped a high ball into the net.
(With inputs from Agencies)
