November 24, (THEWILL) — Lionel Messi gave a masterclass at TQL Stadium on Sunday night, scoring once and assisting three times in Inter Miami’s 4-0 victory over FC Cincinnati.
The Argentine captain opened the scoring with a first-half header after connecting with Mateo Silvetti’s cross, then turned provider to set up Silvetti and Tadeo Allende twice in a dominant display.
Messi’s performance took his post-season tally to 12 goal contributions across four matches, establishing a new MLS record.
The 19-year-old Silvetti, starting ahead of Luis Suárez, fired Miami’s second into the lower right corner before Allende added strikes in the 62nd and 74th minutes, both created by the World Cup winner.
The result marked a dramatic turnaround for Javier Mascherano’s side, who failed to beat Cincinnati during the regular season with a 3-0 defeat away and a 0-0 draw at home.
Mascherano had insisted his team entered Sunday’s semi-final prepared to fight, and his players responded with a controlled performance in front of 25,513 spectators.
Miami finished third in the Eastern Conference, one point behind Philadelphia Union and level with Cincinnati.
They now await the winner of the other semi-final between New York City FC and Philadelphia to determine their next opponent.
Should New York City prevail, Miami will host the conference final at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, whilst a Philadelphia victory would see them travel to Subaru Park.
The victory sends Miami through to the Eastern Conference final for the first time in club history.
Messi’s sixth goal in four playoff games underlined his influence on a night when Miami controlled proceedings from start to finish, leaving Cincinnati to reflect on a difficult end to an otherwise strong campaign.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
