Inter Miami CF secured a dominant 4-0 win over Nashville SC tonight in the decisive Game 3 in the Best-of-3 series between the sides in Round One of the Audi 2025 MLS Cup Playoffs to advance to the Eastern Conference Semifinals for the first time in Club history. Braces from captain Lionel Messi, who earned Royal Caribbean Icon of the Match honors, and attacker Tadeo Allende powered Inter Miami to the key victory at Chase Stadium.
Lineup Notes
Inter Miami took the pitch with Rocco Ríos Novo in goal; Maximiliano Falcón, Sergio Busquets and Noah Allen made up the back three, with Ian Fray and Jordi Alba playing further ahead down the flanks; Mateo Silvetti, Rodrigo De Paul and Baltasar Rodríguez started in midfield; Messi and Allende led the team in attack.
Notably, tonight’s appearance was the 100th for Alba across competitions for Inter Miami, becoming just the seventh player in Club history to achieve the feat.
Match Action
Messi handed Inter Miami an early lead in the 10th minute, intercepting a pass in the opponent’s third before dribbling through the middle and slotting the ball at the bottom-right corner for his 34th goal this 2025 MLS season.
Our captain then secured his brace and doubled Inter Miami’s lead before the break with a goal in the 39th minute. A long ball over the top from Alba found Silvetti down the left, who then laid the ball back for Messi to finish into an open goal. The goal was Messi’s 35th this league campaign, while the assist was the first for Silvetti in Inter Miami colors.
Inter Miami followed suit in the second half and further extended its lead through Allende in the 73rd minute. Alba combined with Messi on the left side of the box before reaching the end line and feeding a grounded pass for Allende to strike from close range. The goal took Allende’s tally to 13 this 2025 MLS season, while the assist was the 16th for Alba.
Allende secured his brace and rounded out the result for Inter Miami in the 76th minute with a sublime chipped finish over the keeper following a precise through ball into space from Messi. The goal was the 14th for Allende in the league in 2025, while the assist was the 20th for Messi, who’s contributed an impressive 15 goals and 11 assists in the past 11 MLS appearances. Additionally, the assist was a historic one for the Argentine maestro, as it marked the 400th for Messi throughout his career.
The 4-0 result would remain unchanged through the final whistle and Inter Miami advanced to the Eastern Conference Semifinals in the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs for the first time in Club history.
Stats
Possession:
MIA - 48.2%
NSH - 51.8%
Shots:
MIA - 9
NSH - 11
Saves:
MIA - 4
NSH - 1
Corners:
MIA - 0
NSH - 6
Fouls:
MIA - 16
NSH - 20
