Cristian Espinoza fired home the second-half goal that sent Nashville SC to the CONCACAF Champions Cup quarterfinals, knocking out Inter Miami on a milestone night for Lionel Messi.
The match ended 1-1 on the night in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., leaving the teams level 1-1 in the two-game, total-goal match. Nashville advanced on the away-goals tiebreaker and will face Club America for a spot in the semifinals.
Messi opened the scoring in the seventh minute with his 900th career goal for club and country, but reigning MLS Cup champion Miami couldn’t find the net again.
Nashville advance to meet either the Philadelphia Union or Mexico’s Club America in the quarterfinals.
The hosts got the necessary goal after a wild sequence in front of the Miami goal. Alex Muyl’s shot was blocked but bounced into the air and headed toward the goal line, where Herons goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair punched it away amid traffic. The rebound fell to an unmarked Espinoza, who fired a right-footed shot inside the far post.
Early on, Sergio Reguilon set up Messi for a 10-yard shot that crept between the legs of a Nashville defender on its way into the net.
Messi stands second in soccer history in career goals, behind only Cristiano Ronaldo, who has 965.
Club America 1 (2), Union 1 (1)
A sixth-minute goal from Rodrigo Dourado helped Liga MX side Club America hold off Philadelphia’s comeback attempt in Mexico City to advance on aggregate despite a draw in the second leg.
After Club America won the opening leg 1-0 last Tuesday in Philadelphia, Dourado scored his first goal for the side after a January transfer on a header off a line-drive free kick from Raphael Veiga.
The Union got a goal back on a penalty kick from Jesus Bueno in the 49th minute on a foul committed by Alex Zendejas on Frankie Westfield. But Philadelphia didn’t put a single shot on goal the remainder of the match, missing on three attempts and getting another blocked.
Andrew Rick made two first-half saves to give the Union a comeback opportunity they couldn’t convert.
Sounders 2 (5), Whitecaps 1 (1)
Late goals from Danny Musovski and Paul Rothrock sealed Seattle’s victory over Vancouver as the Sounders cruised to an aggregate win in Spokane, Wash.
The Sounders will oppose either FC Cincinnati or Mexico’s Tigres UANL in the quarterfinals.
Vancouver, which lost 3-0 at home in the first leg on March 12, attempted to get back in the series when Jeevan Badwal blasted in a shot from just outside the 18-yard box in the 24th minute.
Musovski equalized on the night in the 79th minute. Peter Kingston sent a cross to the front of the goalmouth, and Musovski headed it in.
In the 83rd minute, Kingston again sent a cross toward Musovski, who missed it. The ball sailed to the far side of the box, where Rothrock ran in and scored his second goal of the series.
The Whitecaps reached the final of the CONCACAF Champions Cup last year before falling 5-0 to Mexico’s Cruz Azul.
Toluca FC 4 (6), San Diego FC 0 (3)
Jesus Angulo scored goals on either side of halftime as Toluca overturned a first-leg deficit with a one-sided victory in Toluca de Lerdo, Mexico.
San Diego FC earned a 3-2 home win when the teams met on March 11. Next up for Toluca is a quarterfinal series against either the Los Angeles Galaxy or Jamaica’s Mount Pleasant.
A turnover at the back led to Angulo’s first goal, which tied the series 3-3 on aggregate in the 43rd minute.
Paulinho’s back-heel goal completed a stunning team buildup as Toluca charged in front in the 56th minute, and Angulo gave the hosts a two-goal aggregate edge three minutes later.
San Diego defender Christopher McVey was sent off for receiving a second yellow card in the 85th minute, and Jesus Gallardo capped the scoring in second-half stoppage time.
–Field Level Media
