Lionel Messi extended his historic streak to five straight multi-goal games, and Inter Miami snapped Nashville SC’s 15-match unbeaten streak with a 2-1 win on Saturday night.
Miami (11-3-5) won its fifth straight match and moved to fifth in the Supporter’s Shield standings as it aims to win the title for the second-straight season.
Messi entered Saturday’s match as the only player in Major League Soccer history with four straight multi-goal games after scoring two in Miami’s win over the New England Revolution on Wednesday.
And he wasn’t done.
The 38-year-old opened the scoring Saturday on a free kick in the 17th minute.
Then, after Nashville tied it early in the second half, Messi put his side back on top with a steal and score in the 62nd.
Messi now has 16 goals in 16 MLS matches this season, which is tied with Nashville’s Sam Surridge (16 goals in 21 matches) for most in the league.
Nashville (12-5-5), which had won five straight entering the match, had jumped to third in the Supporter’s Shield Standings during its unbeaten streak that went back to mid-April across all competitions. It was also the longest active streak of its kind in MLS and Nashville’s best stretch in its six-season club history.
On his first goal, Messi bent a low free kick through Nashville’s wall of defenders — a spectacular kick from the nine-time Ballon d’Or winner that gave him 55 goals in 66 Inter Miami matches.
Hany Mukhtar scored the equalizer early in the second half. Andy Najar sent a cross into the box that Mukhtar headed past Oscar Ustari to tie the match in the 49th.
Messi then scored with ease after capitalizing on a gaffe by Nashville goalkeeper Joe Willis, who mistakenly made a pass directly to Messi for the go-ahead score.
Reporting by The Associated Press.
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