Messi nets 900th goal, but Nashville dumps Inter Miami from Champions Cup with 1-1 draw | MLS
Inter Miami’s Lionel Messi reached a milestone, but Nashville SC secured a ticket to the next round of the Concacaf Champions Cup.
In a 1-1 draw, Messi scored the 900th goal of his career, but a second-half striker from Nashville’s Cristian Espinoza sent Inter Miami on away goals after the second leg of the round of 16 Wednesday night.
The teams tied both sets of the game, following a 0-0 game in Nashville that opened the series last week. The away goals were decisive, meaning Nashville will advance to the quarter-finals of the tournament, denying the reigning MLS champions’ bid for another trophy, which had been prioritized by the club’s hierarchy at the start of the season.
“Our goal and our club’s ambition is to compete with the best in North America, Central America and the Caribbean,” Nashville coach BJ Callaghan said. “That’s what this tournament does, bring together the best of the best… If you want to become an elite team and an elite club, you have to be able to perform in a prestigious tournament like this.”
Espinoza scored on a wild play where he was in the right place at the right time.
Nashville’s Alex Muyl took a shot that was blocked by sliding Inter Miami defender Gonzalo Luján. The ball ricocheted off Luján and through the air, the lift carried it towards the goalmouth and Inter Miami goalkeeper Dayne St Clair had to get up to push it away.
He didn’t go far. St Clair’s momentum carried him into the net, where three other Inter Miami defenders also found themselves, and Espinoza scored an easy goal to tie the game.
It was Inter Miami’s first game at Fort Lauderdale’s Chase Stadium since last season’s MLS Cup final — and, if all goes according to plan, it could also be the club’s final game at the venue. Messi’s team will not play an MLS home game until April 4, when they are expected to open their new stadium near Miami International Airport.
And if it was Fort Lauderdale’s final, it wasn’t a loss – but it probably was.
Messi scored his 900th career goal in the seventh minute to lead 1-0. He was the quintessence of Messi, he did something with very little.
He was well defended when he took the pass with his back to the net, about 12 yards from the mouth of the goal and with other players creating more traffic in front of the goal.
No problem.
He turned and his left foot sent the ball onto the wet grass on a rainy night in South Florida, sending it through the legs of Nashville defender Jeisson Palacios and past the left arm of diving goalkeeper Brian Schwake for the first goal.
Cristiano Ronaldo is the only other male player to have scored more than 900 goals – at least according to official figures. It took Ronaldo around 100 more matches to reach this milestone than Messi needed; Ronaldo was 39 when he reached 900 goals in September 2024, while Messi won’t turn 39 until June.
Callaghan paid tribute after the match, saying: “900 goals, congratulations to him. He’s the best.”
