Columbus Crew Beat Inter Miami 2-1 Despite Lionel Messi Equaliser

Columbus Crew’s 2-1 win over Inter Miami left Miami 14 points behind Eastern Conference leaders Nashville with seven regular-season games remaining, while Columbus stayed in the playoff hunt in 12th spot on 29 points.

Columbus take three points as Miami lose ground

Lionel Messi scored a brilliant equaliser for Inter Miami, but it was not enough to stop a costly 2-1 defeat to Columbus Crew in Major League Soccer on Sunday.

Columbus secured all three points through Senegalese substitute Jamal Thiare, who reacted quickest and lashed home a close-range finish deep into stoppage time.

The late goal came after Brais Mendez unleashed a curling shot from the edge of the area which Miami goalkeeper Rocco Rios Novo failed to secure.

The result was another blow to Miami’s already faint hopes of catching Nashville at the top of the Eastern Conference.

Miami now trail leaders Nashville by 14 points with seven games of the regular season remaining.

Columbus, meanwhile, remain in the hunt for a playoff place and are in 12th spot on 29 points, four points outside the postseason places.

Josef Martínez penalty gives Columbus the lead

Columbus took the lead in the 28th minute through a Josef Martínez penalty.

The opening goal put Inter Miami under pressure in a match that carried clear standings consequences for both sides.

For Miami, the defeat was described as costly because it came while their hopes of catching Nashville at the top of the Eastern Conference were already faint.

For Columbus, the win mattered because it kept them in the hunt for a playoff place despite their 12th spot in the standings.

The match then turned on a familiar Messi intervention five minutes after Columbus had gone ahead.

Messi answered with a superb free-kick, curling the ball into the net from an extremely tight angle on the right.

That goal restored parity and took his regular-season tally to 21 goals.

Messi free-kick leaves fans stunned

Messi’s equaliser drew wide reaction because of the angle from which he scored.

Given a dead-ball on the right side of the goal, Messi went for goal from what was described as the narrowest of angles.

The execution left the goalkeeper and even his own teammates stunned.

Fans on the internet were in total disbelief after seeing what Messi managed to pull off.

Some dubbed the free-kick as “impossible”, yet Messi still converted it.

The moment stood out further because it came amid persistent rumours surrounding his eventual retirement.

Despite those rumours, the Argentine maestro continued to show his class by restoring parity against Columbus.

The source also said Messi, having retired from international football, is now focused entirely on his career at Inter Miami.

With rumours of retirement from football also looming large, fans were stunned to see the Argentina great still pulling strings and scoring goals like he did against Columbus on Sunday.

Miami chances fail to change the result

Messi almost put Miami ahead in the 62nd minute.

He burst forward and shot at goal, only for Crew goalkeeper Patrick Schulte to tip his effort over.

Miami then thought they had taken the lead moments later through substitute David Ayala.

Ayala darted clear of the Columbus back four and crashed a shot past Schulte at the near post.

The goal, however, was chalked off after Ayala was ruled fractionally offside.

Those missed moments mattered because the game later moved into stoppage time still level.

Columbus had also threatened at the other end before the winner arrived.

New Moroccan signing Anass Zaroury twice hit the woodwork.

One of those efforts was a spectacular long-range attempt that cannoned off the underside of the bar.

The game looked to be heading for a draw before Columbus grabbed the winner deep into stoppage time.

Late winner reshapes the immediate standings picture

The decisive sequence began when Brais Mendez curled a shot from the edge of the area.

Rocco Rios Novo failed to secure the effort.

Jamal Thiare reacted quickest and finished from close range to secure all three points for Columbus.

That finish turned what had looked like a draw into a Columbus victory.

The defeat left Miami with a 14-point gap to Nashville at the top of the Eastern Conference.

Miami have seven games of the regular season remaining.

Columbus remain four points outside the postseason places.

Their position is still 12th, but the win kept them in the hunt for a playoff place.

Messi’s free-kick became the standout attacking highlight for Miami, but the final standings consequence was shaped by Columbus taking the late winner.

The match therefore combined a moment of individual brilliance from Messi with a result that hurt Miami’s push toward the top of the Eastern Conference.

For Columbus, the same result carried practical value in the playoff race because it delivered all three points and left them within four points of the postseason places.