Lionel Messi received the Golden Boot award before leading Inter Miami to victory with a diving header.In the Major League Soccer playoffs, Messi scored twice as Inter Miami secured a 3-1 win against Nashville SC in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference best-of-three first-round series on Friday night.Inter Miami’s victory featured contributions from Messi and Ian Fray, who assisted Tadeo Allende’s goal. The team now has two opportunities to advance past the first round during Messi’s tenure. The upcoming matches are scheduled for November 1 in Nashville and, if needed, November 8 in Fort Lauderdale.Nashville SC’s Hany Mukhtar scored from a free kick in the 101st minute, marking the final action of the match.The victory followed Inter Miami’s announcement of Messi’s three-year contract extension the previous day.“I don’t think we ever could have imagined that Leo would have been able to deliver for this club, for this city and for this league the way he has,” said MLS Commissioner Don Garber, who presented Messi with the Golden Boot — the trophy presented to the league’s top goal scorer — in a pregame ceremony.“You know, he has reset the trajectory for Major League Soccer and we were already doing pretty well,” Garber added. “And I think having three more years is just going to be another gift. Hopefully it’s the gift that keeps on giving.”Messi’s opening goal came in the 19th minute with a diving header. Click here to watch Lionel Messi’s flying header for Inter Miami vs Nashville SCThe second goal involved Messi initiating the play, passing to Fray who then assisted Allende’s header in the 62nd minute.Messi completed his performance by scoring the third goal during stoppage time, tapping in a deflected ball.The Argentine star won the league’s MVP award last season and is favored to win again this year. This achievement would make him the second two-time winner in league history and first to win consecutively, following Preki’s wins in 1997 and 2003.Messi’s regular season included 29 goals, surpassing both LAFC’s Denis Bouanga and Nashville’s Sam Surridge by five goals. He added 19 assists, totaling 48 goal contributions, just shy of Carlos Vela’s 2019 MLS record of 49.
