Arya News - Lionel Messi scored his second career MLS hat trick, propelling Inter Miami to a 5-2 win over Nashville SC on Saturday night. Messi leads the MLS in scoring with 29 goals this season. The last time he scored a hat trick was last Oct. 19 in Inter Miami`s 6-2 win over the New England Revolution.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Lionel Messi scored his second career MLS hat trick , propelling Inter Miami to a 5-2 win over Nashville SC on Saturday night.
Messi leads the MLS in scoring with 29 goals this season. The last time he scored a hat trick was last Oct. 19 in Inter Miami"s 6-2 win over the New England Revolution.
He opened the scoring in the 35th minute, netting his 27th goal of the season off a shot outside the center of the box for a 1-0 Inter Miami lead. Nashville SC responded with a header from Sam Surridge in the 43rd minute to tie the game 1-1.
After outshooting Inter Miami 11-4 in the first half, Nashville SC’s effort paid off in the sixth minute of first-half stoppage time when Jacob Shaffelburg scored off Hany Mukhtar"s rebound off the left post for a 2-1 lead.
Miami was awarded a penalty following a hand ball on Andy Nájar in the 62nd minute. Messi scored his second of the game for a 2-2 tie. Four minutes later, Baltasar Rodríguez gave Inter Miami a 3-2 lead with a shot from the center of the box.
Messi scored his third of the night on a left-footed shot from the center of the box in the 81st minute to extend the lead to 4-2. Telasco Segovia added a fifth Inter Miami goal a minute into stoppage to cement the win.
The hat trick by Messi gives him an edge as a Golden Boot finalist for Most Valuable Player. He is now five goals ahead of the league"s second-leading scorer, Los Angeles FC"s Denis Bouanga.
Inter Miami finishes the regular season with a 19-7-8 record and as the third seed in the Eastern Conference would face Nashville in the first round of the MLS Playoffs, which is the sixth seed with a 16-12-6 record.
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