FORTLAUDERDALE – Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez each collected a goal and an assist to lead Inter Miami to a 3-1 victory against Nashville SC in the second leg of their 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup Round of 16 series on Wednesday night at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Inter Miami claimed a 5-3 victory on aggregate with the result and will next winner of Monterrey versus Cincinnati, in the quarterfinals.
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🎟️ @InterMiamiCF takes the ticket to the next round of #ConcaChampions! pic.twitter.com/IFZoiFjB8q
— Concacaf Champions Cup (@TheChampions) March 14, 2024
Lionel Messi was active from the beginning with two good chances inside the first seven minutes, but it was his passing that would lead to the game’s first goal as he slipped a pass into Luis Suarez, who finished for a 1-0 Inter Miami lead in the 8’.
Inter Miami’s attack was firing on all cylinders and Messi doubled the margin to 2-0 in the 23’ when Diego Gomez charged into the area, drew in three defenders and then flipped a pass to Messi, who curled in a left-footed shot.
Nashville tried to respond and came within a whisker of pulling a goal back right before halftime when a full volley from Daniel Lovitz rang off the crossbar.
Nashville carried that momentum into the second half and were pegging the Inter Miami defense back in their own half. Inter Miami GK Drake Callendar had to come to the rescue several times with some saves, while on others the visitors barely missed the target.
Inter Miami absorbed Nashville’s heavy punches and then countered in the 64’ with Suarez serving up an inch-perfect pass into Robert Taylor, who spun a header into net for a 3-0 lead.
Nashville would finally get their goal late in second half stoppage time through Sam Surridge to make it 3-1, but the night belonged to Inter Miami, who emerged victorious in their first ever Champions Cup home match to advance to the final eight.
