Lionel Messi continues to add new chapters to his record-breaking career. With a spectacular flying header and a brace of goals, the Argentine superstar guided Inter Miami to a 3–1 win over Nashville SC.
The MLS playoff “Best of Three” first-round match took place Saturday night at Chase Stadium, where Javier Mascherano’s side dominated from the start. In the 19th minute, Messi opened the scoring with a brilliant header from a precise Luis Suárez cross — a goal reminiscent of his favorite header during his Barcelona days.
Tadeo Allende doubled Miami’s lead in the 62nd minute with another header, this time from an Ian Frey cross. In stoppage time, Messi sealed the win with perhaps one of the easiest goals of his career — tapping the ball into an empty net after the Nashville goalkeeper failed to hold it. Nashville pulled one back through Hany Mukhtar, but the victory was already secured for Miami.
Inter Miami controlled 53% of possession and took 12 shots, six of which were on target. Nashville managed six shots, with three on target.
Just a week earlier, Miami had also defeated Nashville 5–2, a match in which Messi scored a hat-trick. This time, his brilliance once again powered the Florida club to another dominant win.
Before kickoff, MLS Commissioner Don Garber presented Messi with the Golden Boot award for scoring a league-high 29 goals in the regular season. Only a day earlier, Messi had signed a new three-year contract with Inter Miami.
The Argentine legend’s latest performance — highlighted by his rare flying header — reminded fans of his iconic Barcelona moments, proving once again that his magic on the pitch remains timeless.