SOCCER: Hany Mukhtar scores twice as Nashville SC rout Inter Miami

Hany Mukhtar scored a pair of second-half goals on Saturday night to help lead Nashville SC to a 4-1 victory over visiting Inter Miami CF in a match between the top two teams in Major League Soccer.

Andy Najar and Sam Surridge also scored for Nashville (13-2-4, 43 points), who improved on the league's best record. Goalkeeper Brian Schwake made four saves and Elias Saad had two assists as the club snapped a brief two-game winless streak.

Telasco Segovia scored his third goal for Miami (11-3-5, 38 points), which suffered its first loss since May 2. Miami had gone seven consecutive matches without a loss before Saturday. The four goals allowed were tied for the club's most this season.

Nashville grabbed a 2-1 lead four minutes into the second half when Saad found Mukhtar in the box, who scored his seventh goal of the year on a left-footed shot from the left side of the box.

The margin doubled in the 56th minute. Cristian Espinoza assisted Surridge, who scored his team-leading 12th goal of the season. The floodgates opened in the 63rd minute, as Schwake launched a goal kick to Mukhtar. Miami goalkeeper Rocco Rios Novo (four saves) slipped, allowing Mukhtar to score an easy goal, making it 4-1.

Nashville recorded the game's first four shots on goal before finally scoring in the 17th minute. Saad sent a perfect cross to Najar, who headed in his first goal of the season.

Miami had an opportunity to knot the score six minutes later, when Maxwell Woledzi's foul on Luis Suarez led to Lionel Messi's penalty kick. Messi's attempt was saved by Schwake, preserving Nashville's 1-0 lead.

The visitors did pull even in the third minute of first-half stoppage time. In a crowded box, Segovia maneuvered past multiple defenders and fired in the game-tying goal past Schwake.

Nashville outshot Miami 12-2 in the first half, with a 5-2 advantage in shots on goal.

-Field Level Media/Reuters