Lionel Messi Tallies Twice as Inter Miami Take Opener vs. Nashville

Lionel Messi scored twice and added an assist to lift Inter Miami to a 3-1 victory over Nashville SC in the opening game of their first-round MLS playoff series on Friday in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

Tadeo Allende also scored for third-seeded Miami, which has now defeated sixth-seeded Nashville in six consecutive matches across all competitions.

A seventh straight win on Nov. 1 in Nashville would wrap up the best-of-three series with a game to spare and help erase some of the sting of Miami’s surprising playoff exit to Atlanta United at this stage last season, Reuters reported.

Hany Mukhtar scored a very late consolation goal on a direct free kick for Nashville, which also took a 5-2 defeat to Miami on the final day of the regular season last Saturday.

Messi has now surpassed his scoring output from his entire previous playoff series against Atlanta, in which he had one goal and one assist in three matches. He has scored 12 goals in eight appearances against the Coyotes, with seven of those coming this season.

On Friday, he put Miami in front in the 19th minute.

Rodrigo De Paul helped create the attack with a clever short pass between charging defenders to play Messi into space down the middle.

Messi played wide to Luis Suarez, who returned a cross toward the penalty spot where Messi met it with a well-placed header past goalkeeper Joe Willis.

Allende doubled the lead in the 62nd minute, during a stretch when Nashville center back Jeisson Palacios was on the sideline because of the league’s off- field treatment rule.

Messi played the ball down the right to Ian Fray, who served an outswinging cross toward the penalty spot, in the vicinity Palacios might have normally been defending. Instead, Allende met it there for an unmarked header past Willis.

Messi added a second in second-half stoppage time on the simplest of finishes after Willis and center back Walker Zimmerman collided trying to defend Jordi Alba’s cross.

Mukhtar’s brilliant strike from 25 yards gave Nashville some consolation on the last meaningful kick of the game.
[26/10, 1:30 am] it’s Me: Brentford condemn Liverpool to fourth straight Premier League loss

Champions Liverpool suffered a fourth successive Premier League defeat as they lost 3-2 at Brentford to continue their miserable run of form in London.

Arne Slot’s stumbling side fell behind after five minutes on Saturday when Dango Ouattara volleyed in following a long throw, and Kevin Schade went through to make it 2-0 in the 45th.
Milos Kerkez replied for the visitors in first-half stoppage time with his first Liverpool goal from Conor Bradley’s cross.

Liverpool’s expected second-half siege never really materialised, however, and Igor Thiago restored Brentford’s two-goal advantage from the penalty spot on the hour mark.

Mohamed Salah gave Liverpool hope with a clinical finish in the 89th minute, but they had left it too late.

It is the first time since 2021 that Liverpool have lost four successive league games, with three of those matches being in London after defeats at Crystal Palace and Chelsea.

They are now sixth in the table on 15 points, four points behind leaders Arsenal, who could extend that margin on Sunday when they host Crystal Palace.

Brentford’s second win in a row moved them up to 10th place, two points behind Liverpool.