Messi leads Inter Miami to East semifinals with 2-goal, 2-assist showing in 4-0 win over Nashville

Lionel Messi and Inter Miami are three wins away from an MLS Cup title.

Messi scored a pair of first-half goals and added two assists, leading the way as third-seeded Inter Miami ousted sixth-seeded Nashville SC 4-0 on Saturday night in the decisive Game 3 of their first-round Eastern Conference playoff series.

Tadeo Allende scored a pair of goals about three minutes apart — both set up by Messi — in the second half to blow the game open for Inter Miami, which outscored Nashville 8-3 in the series. Messi had a hand in all eight of those goals, scoring five and assisting on the other three.

Inter Miami will go to FC Cincinnati for an East semifinal match — everything now is single-elimination, unlike Round 1’s best-of-three format — on Nov. 22 or Nov. 23. Cincinnati went 1-0-1 against Inter Miami this season, winning 3-0 at home on July