Following Inter Miami and Nashville SC battling out to a thrilling 2-2 draw in the first leg, all eyes were on Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale on Wednesday night for the second leg.
It was expected to be extremely competitive and tightly contested, but Miami came out with a pep in their step and didn’t let up until the final whistle blew, winning 3-1 (5-3 on aggregate).
Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez score against Nashville again
It was a much different game from the get-go for Miami. They quickly poured on the pressure, leading to the opener in the eighth minute. Luis Suarez dummied a pass from Jordi Alba then received the perfect through ball from Lionel Messi to make it 1-0.
Miami didn’t waste much time extending their lead, striking again in the 23rd minute. This time it was Messi hitting the back of the net, thanks to an assist from Diego Gomez.
Nashville created a couple of chances before the first half ended but couldn’t convert any of them.
Messi was subbed off early in the second half, making way for Robert Taylor off the bench. Taylor made his own impact, heading home a Suarez cross for Miami’s third goal in the 63rd minute.
Nashville scored a goal late, but it came in stoppage time and was only slight consolation. It was a fantastic performance from Miami overall following a home loss to Montreal over the weekend.
Now in the quarter-finals of the CONCACAF Champions Cup, Miami will face either Monterrey or FC Cincinnati. They play Thursday night in Mexico.
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