'Messi League Soccer', Miami superstar scores hat trick in 5-2 win over Nashville

VIDEO SHOWS: HIGHLIGHTS FROM INTER MIAMI AT NASHVILLE SC MLS MATCH (RESENDING WITH SHOTLIST) SHOWS: NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE, UNITED STATES (OCTOBER 18, 2025)(SOCCER UNITED MARKETING – Editorial use only. No more than two minutes use per match. Must on screen courtesy 'MLS on Apple'. No use after December 31, 2025. No monetisation. No resales. No sublicensing) INTER MAIMI (BLACK JERSEYS) AT NASHVILLE SC AT GEODIS PARK 1ST HALF 1. OPENING KICKOFF 2. MIAMI GOAL – LIONEL MESSI WITH NICE MOVE AND SCORES PAST NASHVILLE GOALKEEPER JOE WILLIS IN 35TH MINUTE. MIAMI 1-0 NASHVILLE 3. REPLAYS OF MESSI GOAL 4. NASHVILLE GOAL – HANY MUKHTAR WITH CENTERING PASS TO SAM SURRIDGE WHO HEADS IT PAST MIAMI GOALKEEPER ROCCO RIOS NOVO IN 43RD MINUTE. MIAMI 1-1 NASHVILLE 5. REPLAY OF MUKHTAR CENTERING PASS TO SURRIDGE FOR HEADER 6. NASHVILLE GOAL – MUKHTAR TAKES SHOT THAT BOUNCES OFF POST TO JACOB SHAFFELBURG WHO KNOCKS IN REBOUND PAST MIAMI'S RIOS NOVO IN 45+6 STOPPAGE TIME. MIAMI 1-2 NASHVILLE 7. REPLAY OF MUKHTAR SHOT OFF POST AND SHAFFELBURG KNOCKING IN REBOUND FOR GOAL 2ND HALF 8. NASHVILLE'S ANDY NAJAR IS WHISTLED FOR A HAND BALL IN PENALTY BOX AND REFEREE AWARDS MIAMI A PENALTY KICK 9. REPLAY OF BALL HITTING ARM OF NASHVILLE'S NAJAR IN PENALTY BOX 10. MIAMI PK GOAL – MESSI SCORES PK PAST NASHVILLE'S WILLIS IN 63RD MINUTE. MIAMI 2-2 NASHVILLE 11. REPLAYS OF MESSI PK GOAL 12. MIAMI GOAL – MESSI WITH PASS TO LUIS SUAREZ WHO TAKES THAT NASHVILLE GOALKEEPER WILLIS TRIES TO KICK AWAY BUT REBOUND GOES TO MIAMI'S BALTASAR RODRIGUEZ WHO SCORES IN 67TH MINUTE. MIAMI 3-2 NASHVILLE 13. REPLAYS OF SUAREZ SHOT, WILLIS KICKING IT AWAY AND RODRIGUEZ SCORING GOAL 14. MIAMI GOAL – MESSI WITH PASS TO IAN FRAY WHO TAPS IT BACK TO MESSI WHO SCORES PAST NASHVILLE'S WILLIS IN 81ST MINUTE FOR HAT TRICK. MIAMI 4-2 NASHVILLE 15. REPLAYS OF FRAY NICE PASS TO MESSI FOR HIS THIRD GOAL OF MATCH 16. MIAMI GOAL – FRAY WITH PASS TO MESSI WHO PASSES TO TELASCO SEGOVIA WHO SCORES PAST NASHVILLE'S WILLIS IN 90+1 STOPPAGE TIME. MIAMI 5-2 NASHVILLE 17. REPLAYS OF FRAY PASS TO MESSI WHO PASSES TO SEGOVIA FOR GOAL 18. REFEREE BLOWS WHISTLE TO END MATCH, MIAMI WINS 5-2 19. NASHVILLE HEAD COACH B.J. CALLAGHAN HUGGING MIAMI HEAD COACH JAVIER MASCHERANO 20. MESSI AND NASHVILLE'S GASTON BRUGMAN AFTER MATCH STORY: Lionel Messi recorded a hat trick and added an assist and Baltasar Rodriguez scored the tiebreaking goal as visiting Inter Miami used a second-half assault to defeat Nashville SC 5-2 in a Decision Day matchup on Saturday (October 18)  night. Telasco Segovia also scored for Inter Miami (19-7-8, 65 points), who won their third straight game. Miami will be the No. 3 seed for the Eastern Conference playoffs and faces a rematch with No. 6 Nashville in the first round. Sam Surridge and Jacob Shaffelburg scored goals for Nashville (16-12-6, 54 points), which didn't allow a shot over the first 34 minutes before being badly exposed in the second half. Messi finishes the regular season with 29 goals while all but clinching the Golden Boot. Surridge and Los Angeles FC's Denis Bouanga each have 24 with the latter in action against the Colorado Rapids later Saturday night. Rocco Rios Novo made five saves for Miami, while Nashville's Joe Willis had four stops. Nashville was nursing a 2-1 lead in the second half until Andy Najar was called for a hand ball. Messi took the ensuing penalty kick in the 63rd minute and easily sent a left-footed shot into the left corner of the net to tie the match. The goal energized Miami and it moved ahead just four minutes later. Luis Suarez took a right-footed shot that Willis knocked away. But the ball bounced over toward Rodriguez, who sent a right-footed shot past Willis to give Miami a 3-2 lead. Messi was at it again in the 81st minute as he booted a left-footed shot into the lower left corner to make it 4-2. In the first minute of second-half stoppage time, Messi had possession and closed in on Willis before feeding the wide-open Segovia, who kicked the ball into the net to finish off the flurry. Miami outshot Nashville 17-15 and had a 9-7 edge in shots on target. Nashville dominated play in the first half but led just 2-1 at halftime. Miami's initial shot came on Messi's goal in the 34th minute. He received the ball from Jordi Alba and had three defenders to maneuver around before sending a left-footed shot into the left corner of the net. Nashville responded in the 43rd minute when Hany Mukhtar sent a short centering pass to Surridge, who knocked in a header. Nashville struck again in the sixth minute of first-half stoppage time. Mukhtar took a shot that caromed off the right goalpost and the ball went directly to Shaffelburg, who knocked it home to put Nashville ahead. (Production: David Grip)

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