Context:

Inter Miami CF achieved a historic 4-0 victory over Nashville SC, marking the franchise's first advancement to the Eastern Conference semifinals in MLS history. Lionel Messi opened the scoring with two first-half goals, leveraging Nashville's defensive lapses, while Tadeo Allende added two more in the second half. Despite Nashville's attempts to equalize, including a disallowed goal, they struggled to contain Miami's offensive prowess. The win comes even with the absence of suspended forward Luis Suárez, setting up a matchup against FC Cincinnati next. This marks a significant improvement from last season's early playoff exit.

Dive Deeper:

• Lionel Messi scored the first goal in the 10th minute, sprinting past three Nashville defenders and shooting from just outside the penalty box.

• Messi's second goal came in the 39th minute following a backheel pass from Mateo Silvetti, which was initiated by a long pass from Jordi Alba.

• Nashville's Sam Surridge had a goal ruled out early in the second half due to a foul on Maximilian Falcón, which hindered their comeback efforts.

• Tadeo Allende scored his first goal in the 73rd minute after a pass from Alba, and followed it up with another in the 76th minute, both assisted by Messi.

• Luis Suárez was suspended for one match after an incident with Nashville's Andy Najar during Game 2 of the series.

• Inter Miami's next playoff game will be against FC Cincinnati, who secured their spot by defeating Columbus 2-1 earlier on the same day.

• This playoff progression is the furthest Inter Miami has advanced since its inception in 2020, contrasting sharply with their previous season's first-round exit.