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Lionel Messi News: Iconic football player Lionel Messi powered Inter Miami to a 5-2 win against Nashville, courtesy of a stellar hat-trick, which was his second in the Major League Soccer (MLS) on Saturday. Interestingly, he scored his previous hat-trick for Inter Miami during their 6-2 win over the New England Revolution.

Notably, Messi continues to lead the table with 29 goals this season for Inter Miami.

Messi led the scoring in the 35th minute, as he placed one outside the center of the box, which gave Inter Miami a 1-0 advantage 27th. On the other hand, Nashville equalised with a header from Sam Surridge in the 43rd minute, making it 1-1.

Jacob Shaffelburg helped Nashville get to 2-1 after he received a rebound from Mukhtar.

However, Messi was to quick to make it 2-2 after he converted a penalty for his second goal of the match.

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“It's so obvious that he (Messi) gives us an advantage every night," Inter Miami defender Ian Fray said. “There aren't enough words to say about him.”

“Towards the end of the game, our quality took over and we won the game,” Fray said. "We have some of the greatest players to ever play the game here. Whoever we're going to play, we have the same mindset.”

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.

“We didn't do a good enough job (defending Messi), especially in the final 24, 25 yards. I think he was able to find spaces in the combinations,” Nashville coach B.J. Callaghan said. “If you give him chances on the top of the box, he's going to take them.”

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 scorers, Surridge and Los Angeles FC's Denis Bouanga.

“That was a playoff game and we've earned our way into the playoffs,” Callaghan said. “We look forward to playing Miami again. Overall, on the game, it was a tale of two halves, and there are going to be some learning lessons we take from the second half.”

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