NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) \u2014 Lionel Messi scores. Second hat trick of MLS career<\/span>Inter Miami defeated Nashville SC 5-2 on Saturday night.<\/p>\n Messi is MLS’s top scorer this season with 29 goals. His last hat trick was on October 19 of last year in Inter Miami’s 6-2 win over the New England Revolution. <\/p>\n “He (Messi) obviously gives us an advantage every night,” Inter Miami defender Ian Frei said. “I don’t have enough words about him.” <\/p>\n He took the lead in the 35th minute, scoring his 27th goal of the season with a shot from outside the center of the box, giving Inter Miami a 1-0 lead. Nashville SC responded with a Sam Surridge header in the 43rd minute to tie the score at 1-1. <\/p>\n Nashville SC defeated Inter Miami 11-4 in the first half, and in the 6th minute of first-half stoppage time, Jacob Schaffelburg hit the left post with a rebound from Hany Mukhtar and scored a goal, taking a 2-1 lead.<\/p>\n Miami was awarded a penalty in the 62nd minute for a handball on Andi Nahal. Messi scored his second goal of the game, tying the score at 2-2. Four minutes later, Baltasar Rodriguez scored from the center of the box to give Inter Miami a 3-2 lead. <\/p>\n \u201cTowards the end of the game, our quality prevailed and we won the game,\u201d Frey said. “We have some of the greatest players to ever play the game here. No matter who we play, we have the same mindset.” <\/p>\n Messi scored his third goal of the night in the 81st minute with a left-footed shot from the center of the box, extending the lead to 4-2. Telasco Segovia added Inter Miami’s fifth goal in the first minute of stoppage time, sealing the victory. <\/p>\n “We didn’t do a good enough job (protecting Messi), especially in the last 24, 25 yards. I think he was able to find space in his combinations,” Nashville coach B.J. Callahan said. \u201cIf you give him a chance above the box, he will take it.\u201d <\/p>\n Messi’s hat-trick gave him the edge as a finalist for the Golden Boot for the Best Player award. He currently has five goals ahead of Surridge, the league’s second-leading scorer, and Los Angeles FC’s Dennis Bouanga.<\/p>\n Inter Miami finished the regular season with a record of 19 wins, 7 losses, and 8 losses, and as the third seed in the Eastern Conference, they will face Nashville, the sixth seed with a record of 16 wins, 12 losses, and six draws, in the first round of the MLS playoffs.<\/p>\n “That was a playoff game. We earned our way to the playoffs,” Callahan said. “We’re looking forward to playing Miami again. Overall, the game was a story of two halves. We can take some lessons from the second half.” <\/p>\n ___<\/p>\n AP Soccer Details: https:\/\/apnews.com\/soccer<\/span> and https:\/\/twitter.com\/AP_Sports<\/span><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n