Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez on hand to fire Inter Miami into CONCACAF quarters

Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi found the back of the net as Inter Miami advanced to the quarterfinals of the CONCACAF Champions Cup with a 3-1 victory (5-3 on aggregate) against Nashville on Wednesday.

Messi assisted Suarez for the first goal in the eighth minute, and then he scored himself in the 23rd minute.

However, the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner was substituted in the 50th minute, and his replacement Robert Taylor secured the victory with a header in the 63rd minute.

Inter Miami coach Gerardo 'Tata' Martino explained that Messi's early substitution was due to concerns about his right hamstring, despite not showing any visible signs of discomfort.

"We didn't want to take any risks with his hamstring overload. Although he tried to continue, the discomfort was bothering him, so we decided to take him out of the match," Martino stated.

Martino also mentioned that Messi is unlikely to be available for the upcoming game against D.C. United on Saturday.

Miami, participating in the tournament for the first time, will go up against the victor of the second leg between Monterrey from Mexico and FC Cincinnati from MLS in the quarter-finals.

Monterrey, the Liga MX team, will have the advantage of playing at home and currently hold a 1-0 lead from the first leg.

In the initial match held in Tennessee, Nashville had taken a two-goal lead, but thanks to goals from Messi and Suarez, Miami managed to make a comeback and secure a 2-2 draw.

Once again, the former Barcelona duo of Messi and Suarez proved to be the key players as Miami took control of the game right from the start.

Messi had an early chance when he was fouled on the edge of the penalty area, resulting in a free-kick from a central position. However, his shot hit the wall.

Just minutes later, Messi played a perfect pass to Suarez, splitting the Nashville defense and allowing Suarez to score a beautiful goal with the outside of his right foot. The precision of the assist matched the quality of the finish.

While the attention is often on the experienced quartet of Barcelona players in the Miami team, which also includes Alba and Busquets, the young midfielder Diego Gomez has been increasingly influential.

Gomez's aggressive running led to the creation of the second goal in the 23rd minute. He drove into the box and cleverly slipped the ball to Messi, who buried it into the corner with a first-time finish.

This goal marked Messi's fifth goal in five games across all competitions this season, while Suarez has scored four goals in six games.

Nashville produced little, but they managed to catch Miami keeper Drake Callender off guard when Daniel Lovitz struck a left-foot volley against the post.

Miami coach Gerardo Martino substituted Messi for Taylor five minutes into the second half, despite no apparent injury to the Argentine.

The exit of the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner boosted Nashville's morale, leading them to attack aggressively. Callender had to make a remarkable save at close range to deny Lukas MacNaughton.

However, any hope of a Nashville comeback was dashed when Suarez provided a beautiful chip into the box for Taylor to score with a header, making it 3-0.

Hany Mukhtar's goal for Nashville was disallowed due to offside before Sam Surridge scored a late consolation.

Taylor commented, "We scored the necessary goals early on. We anticipated they would push harder in the second half to score, and they did. Fortunately, we managed to score a third goal, and Drake made some incredible saves. It feels amazing to progress and perform like this. Every game in the Cup feels like a do-or-die situation, so it's a great feeling," said the Finnish international.

Herediano from Costa Rica advanced to the quarter-finals with a 1-1 draw against Robinhood from Surinam, securing a 3-1 aggregate win.

Later on Wednesday, there will be an all-Mexican clash with Club America defending a 3-0 lead from the first leg against Chivas Guadalajara at home.