Nashville started strong and held on to an early lead to beat Inter Miami in game two of their first round MLS playoff series, 2-1, on Saturday night. Lionel Messi scored the only goal for Miami, who threatened late but were unable to find a stoppage time equalizer, and could now face a second straight opening round elimination after taking a 1-0 lead.
Miami got off to a signature slow start, with some sloppy defensive play costing them the lead. Rocco Rios Novo reacted late to Hany Mukhtar's lofted ball, Sam Surridge galloped onto it and was clipped while trying to round the stranded goalkeeper. The referee had no choice but to point to the spot, and Surridge converted.
The Herons created in patches, though. Luis Suarez hit the post. Messi poked wide. Allende should have scored after 30 minutes, but Tadeo Allende missed from close range with the goal gaping. Still, another Miami lapse was costly. They fell asleep on a corner, and center back Josh Bauer simply reacted first to a loose ball. He comfortably hooked home with the goal gaping.
The second half was all Miami, but not enough. Messi provided a moment. Nashville made the error of allowing him to cut left, and smash into the top corner. It seemed like the inevitable equalizer was coming. But Nashville defended well, cut off angles, and after clearing a last-minute free kick, were good value for the home win. And now, it would seem, anything can happen in the last game of the series.
GOAL rates Inter Miami's players from Geodis Park.
Goalkeeper & Defense
Rocco Rios Novo (4/10):
Made a fairly woeful mistake, misjudging a long ball, and gave away a penalty as a result. Nowhere on the second goal.
Ian Fray (6/10):
Got into the scrappy stuff early, and certainly could have been sent off. Will need to keep his cool a bit more in the series final.
Maxi Falcon (6/10):
Didn't step quickly enough on the Mukhtar through ball before the penalty, allowing Surridge to win the penalty.
Noah Allen (7/10):
Sacrificed for a more attacking setup at the break – which was unfair given that he turned in a solid first half.
Jordi Alba (6/10):
Scampered up and down the left. Played some nice passes, connected with Messi, but could never find the killer ball.
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Baltasar Rodriguez (5/10):
Hardly involved in 50 minutes of action, and was dutifully hooked.
Rodrigo De Paul (8/10):
A really composed midfield performance without much support. Smooth on the ball, found all of the right passes.
Sergio Busquets (5/10):
Dropped into a load of deep positions and left De Paul isolated at times. Undone when the game opened up. Leggy by the end.
Tadeo Allende (5/10):
Missed a golden opportunity in the first half, and never fully recovered.
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Lionel Messi (8/10):
Basically marked out of the game for 89 minutes, then scored an absolute worldie to give Miami life.
Luis Suarez (6/10):
Hit the post, and was otherwise pretty quiet.
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Telasco Segovia (7/10):
Added a bit more creativity in the midfield when introduced at half-time.
Mateo Silvetti (6/10):
Hardly involved in an underwhelming second-half showing
Javier Mascherano (5/10):
Went unchanged from the first game win, which he can't really be blamed for. But was then outcoached and will have to face the nerves of a deciding game.