Category World News

Lionel Messi scored two goals and assisted two more, and Inter Miami advanced in the MLS Cup Playoffs for the first time in club history with a 4-0 victory over visiting Nashville SC in Game 3 of their first-round series on Saturday night in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Messi finished the best-of-three series with five goals and three assists, meaning he was involved in all eight tallies for third-seeded Miami. He has scored 15 times against sixth-seeded Nashville in all competitions, by far his most against any MLS opponent.

By contrast, Messi has never scored against No 2 seed FC Cincinnati, which will host Inter Miami in a one-game Eastern Conference semifinal in two weeks.

Tadeo Allende scored twice after halftime and had an assist as Miami won despite playing without key forward Luis Suarez, who served a one-game suspension for his kickout at Nashville SC’s Andy Najar in Game 2.

Nashville was eliminated in the first round in a third consecutive postseason appearance, having returned to the playoffs in the first full season coached by BJ Callaghan after missing the 2024 tournament.

Messi put Miami in front in the 10th minute on the first clear chance for either side.

Ian Fray’s pressure forced Nashville’s Matthew Corcoran into an ill-advised backward pass, which Allende deflected to Messi’s feet, with time and space to surge forward.

Messi did the rest, dribbling at retreating centre back Jack Maher before firing a low finish from about 20 yards (18 metres) out between goalkeeper Joe Willis and the right post.

Then Walker Zimmerman’s defensive error helped set up Messi’s second in the 39th minute when he reached Jordi Alba’s long, speculative ball down the left flank but failed to clear it.

Instead, it fell to Mateo Silvetti, who alertly spotted Messi running into space and provided the square pass in stride for a much simpler second finish.

Nashville thought it had pulled a goal back only seconds into the second half, only for apparent goal-scorer Sam Surridge to be whistled for a foul on Maxi Falcon.

But eventually, Miami added insurance through Allende twice in the 73rd and 76th minutes.

On the first, Messi and Alba combined on the left side of the box to set up Allende’s low finish through traffic. On the second, it was Messi sending an early through ball, and Allende chipping past Willis on the run.

At least six people have been killed and 750 others injured in Brazil after a tornado ripped through the southern state of Parana, with powerful winds of up to 250km/hour (155 mph).

Local authorities said on Saturday that the twister, which struck late on Friday, lasted less than a minute, but destroyed about 90 percent of the town of Rio Bonito do Iguacu.

The town is home to 14,000 people.

Aerial photographs show scores of buildings in Rio Bonito do Iguacu without roofs, while parts of the town appear completely flattened. Nearby, green farmland and trees outside of the tornado’s path appear to be largely untouched.

The destructive weather pattern hit Brazil as it prepared to host the United Nations Climate Change Conference COP30 in Belem on Monday.

Experts say climate change can contribute to frequent and more intense tornadoes as warmer temperatures and increasing moisture in the air can increase atmospheric instability and wind shear – the factors that give rise to such twisters.

‘War zone’

Fernando Schunig, head of the Parana Civil Defence agency, described the town as a “war zone” in an interview with local news outlet G1.

“When these events hit an urban area, the damage is major. It is very lethal,” he said.

Gilberto Brecailo, a resident of Rio Bonito do Iguacu, said his mechanic shop was one of the buildings destroyed by the tornado.

“There’s not much we can do… All we have left are our clothes and our documents. My livelihood, my mechanic shop, is gone, and my son worked with me,” he said, standing near a pile of support beams and building rubble.

Marileia Chagas, another resident, said she was thrown against a structure by the high winds but was able to hide under a bench until it passed.

“When I came out, everything was destroyed. My daughter and my wheelchair-bound mother were inside. My father was inside too. I was devastated,” she said. “In two minutes, everything was on the ground; some people lost family, but we must thank God everyone is alive.”

Authorities say five of the people killed were from Rio Bonito do Iguacu, while another victim was from the nearby town of Guarapuava.

At least one person is missing.

Towns near Rio Bonito do Iguacu were also hit by winds, storms and hail, but none suffered the same level of damage, according to the local government.

Mourning

State Governor Carlos Massa Ratinho Jr declared three days of mourning to honour the dead. Officials say the casualty rate may rise as search and rescue operations are still under way.

At least 750 people were also injured by the tornado, of whom 10 have undergone surgery and nine are in serious condition, according to health authorities.

Cinthia Kelly Somariva, the director of a nearby hospital, said they were still evaluating the fallout from the tornado. “It was a very sad and intense night. There were lives lost,” she said.

On social media, President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva expressed solidarity with the victims. Members of his Cabinet announced the dispatching of emergency assistance to the area.

Novak Djokovic has withdrawn from the ATP Finals for the second year in a row, shortly after beating Lorenzo Musetti in a near three-hour final to win the Hellenic Championship on Saturday.

Djokovic said a shoulder injury would prevent him from playing in the season-ending event for the top eight men’s players that starts on Sunday in Turin, Italy.

“I was really looking forward to competing in Turin and giving my best,” Djokovic posted on social media.

“But after today’s final in Athens, I’m sad to share that I need to withdraw due to an ongoing injury.”

The decision means that Musetti will take his place, even though his loss to Djokovic initially handed the final qualifying spot to Felix Auger-Aliassime.

The 24-time Grand Slam champion said he had been dealing with the injury throughout the tournament in Athens. Djokovic, who has won the ATP Finals seven times, also missed the tournament last year because of an injury.

“That’s the reason why I decided not to make a call: would I go to Turin or not earlier, because I wanted to see how the matches go, how I react,” he told reporters.

“After yesterday’s [Friday] match, I was hoping that it was not going to flare up. But then today, even before the match, it was not great. I had to take all the strong medications to be able to play the match.

“I felt there’s no chance for me to go through the entire tournament in Turin with the required level of tennis when you’re playing the best eight in the world.”

Djokovic passes Federer on key milestone

On Saturday, the Serb rallied for a 4-6, 6-3, 7-5 victory over Musetti to clinch his 101st career title.

“An incredible battle,” Djokovic said after the match. “Three hours of a grueling match, physically… I’m just very proud of myself to get through this one.”

The last set featured five breaks before Djokovic clinched the victory with a service winner. Musetti has now lost his last six tour-level finals.

Djokovic is one of just three men to have racked up a century of titles. He still needs two to equal Roger Federer’s 103, while Jimmy Connors heads the list with 109.

The 38-year-old’s victory against Musetti set a men’s record with his 72nd title on hard courts, one more than Federer.

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa has arrived in the United States for an official visit, according to state media, during which Washington hopes to enlist Damascus in its global coalition against ISIL, or ISIS.

Al-Sharaa’s arrival in the US capital came late on Saturday as Syria’s Ministry of Interior announced launching a “large-scale security operation” across the country, targeting ISIL cells.

Al-Sharaa, whose rebel forces ousted longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad late last year, is due to meet US President Donald Trump at the White House on Monday.

It is the first such visit by a Syrian president since the country’s independence in 1946, according to analysts. Al-Sharaa, who had met Trump for the first time in Riyadh in May, was removed from a US “terrorist” sanctions list on Friday.

US envoy to Syria Tom Barrack said earlier this month that al-Sharaa would “hopefully” sign an agreement to join the international US-led alliance against ISIL.

Washington is also preparing to establish a military presence at an airbase in Damascus to help enable a security pact that the US is brokering between Syria and Israel, according to the Reuters and AFP news agencies.

For his part, al-Sharaa is expected to seek funds for Syria, which faces significant challenges in rebuilding after 13 years of brutal civil war. The World Bank has estimated that the cost of reconstruction could take at least $216bn, a figure that it described as a “conservative best estimate”.

Al-Sharaa once led Syria’s offshoot of al-Qaeda, but his anti-Assad group broke away from the network a decade ago and later clashed with ISIL. Al-Sharaa’s group, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), was delisted as a terrorist group by Washington in July.

Al-Sharaa’s trip to Washington, DC, comes after his landmark visit to the United Nations in September, his first time on US soil, where he became the first Syrian president in decades to address the UN General Assembly in New York.

On Thursday, the US led a vote by the UN Security Council to remove sanctions against him.

In Damascus on Saturday, state media reported that Syrian security forces had carried out 61 raids across the country targeting ISIL cells.

A spokesperson for the Syrian Interior Ministry said at least 71 people were arrested, while explosives and weapons were seized.