Early goals from Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi propelled Inter Miami to a 3-1 win over Nashville SC on Wednesday in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., sending the Herons through to the quarterfinals of the CONCACAF Champions Cup.
Miami won the two-leg, total-goal series 5-3. The teams played to a 2-2 draw at Nashville last week, with Inter Miami also getting goals from Messi and Suarez.
With Miami ahead 2-0 in the second leg, Messi exited in the 50th minute. Messi sat out the Herons’ 3-2 home loss to CF Montreal on Saturday, with coach Gerardo “Tata” Martino saying that the team would need to find a proper way to rest the 36-year-old star amid a busy schedule.
Inter Miami expanded the edge to 3-0 on a 63rd-minute goal from Robert Taylor off a cross from Suarez.
Nashville got a consolation goal from Sam Surridge in the third minute of second-half stoppage time.
Miami advances to oppose either Monterrey or FC Cincinnati in the quarterfinals. Monterrey hold a 1-0 lead in their series heading into the second leg on Thursday at Guadalupe, Mexico.
–Field Level Media