AFPLionel Messi scored twice and created another for Sergio Busquets as Inter Miami beat Nashville 3-1 on Saturday to maintain top spot in Major League Soccer’s Eastern Conference. Miami suffered an early setback when their defender Franco Negri deflected a corner from Daniel Lovitz into his own net in just the second minute of the game at Chase Stadium. Gerardo Martino’s team have now failed to keep a clean sheet in each of their last 11 games and it could have been worse when three minutes later Josh Bauer blasted a shot against the bar.But Messi soon had Miami on level terms — the Argentine set free by a clever flick from Diego Gomez saw a shot parried out by Nashville keeper Elliot Panicco, but after Luis Suarez directed the loose ball back to him Messi slotted home to make it 1-1 in the 11th minute.Two minutes later, Messi took advantage of some sloppy play from Nashville but his low right-foot shot came out off the post.Everything Miami was creating was coming through Messi, who flashed a snapshot wide before moments later whipping in a cross for a Gomez header which was saved by Panicco’s feet.Six minutes before the interval, Messi’s former Barcelona team-mate Busquets found the net for the first time in MLS, meeting the World Cup winner’s corner with a fine glancing header at the near post.
