Inter Miami moved a step closer to securing its first-ever Major League Soccer Cup after a dominant 4-0 win over FC Cincinnati in the Eastern Conference semifinals on Sunday. Lionel Messi delivered a stunning all-round performance, being directly involved in all four goals—scoring once and assisting three times.
“𝑴𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒊 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒕𝒓𝒐𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒅 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒑𝒉𝒂𝒔𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒎𝒂𝒕𝒄𝒉,” 𝒕𝒆𝒂𝒎 𝒂𝒏𝒂𝒍𝒚𝒔𝒕𝒔 𝒏𝒐𝒕𝒆𝒅, 𝒉𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒍𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒊𝒏𝒇𝒍𝒖𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒓𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒊𝒔𝒉.
The Argentine superstar’s stats reflected his brilliance: three shots, two successful dribbles, seven final-third passes, and flawless accuracy with both crosses and long balls. He completed 41 precise passes and won 100% of his tackles, showcasing complete command.
Tadeo Allende added two goals of his own as Miami snapped Cincinnati’s three-year unbeaten run at TQL Stadium.
Messi Leads and Miami Dominates the Second Half
Miami struck early, taking the lead in the 19th minute when Mateo Silvetti’s cross was expertly finished by Messi. Cincinnati attempted to respond with pressure, but they failed to find an equalizer.
Miami controlled the second half with authority. In the 57th minute, Silvetti doubled the lead from a Messi delivery. Just five minutes later, Miami added their third—again with Messi at the heart of the play.
Messi carried the ball from deep inside his half, making three sharp touches before setting up Allende, who scored again in the 75th minute to seal the emphatic win.
𝑶𝒏𝒆 𝑴𝒊𝒂𝒎𝒊 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒇𝒇 𝒎𝒆𝒎𝒃𝒆𝒓 𝒔𝒂𝒊𝒅, “𝑾𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝑴𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒊 𝒂𝒄𝒄𝒆𝒍𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒈𝒂𝒎𝒆, 𝒏𝒐 𝒐𝒑𝒑𝒐𝒏𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒌𝒆𝒆𝒑 𝒖𝒑.”
With seven goals and six assists in just seven playoff matches, Messi has now set a new MLS playoff record for the highest goal contributions.
Inter Miami advance to the Eastern Conference final for the first time in club history, where they will face New York City FC. The winner will progress to the MLS Cup Final on December 6.
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