It was a night of uncharacteristic frustration for Lionel Messi and Inter Miami as league leaders Nashville SC cruised to a comprehensive 4-1 victory at Geodis Park.
The top-of-the-table showdown swung decisively in the hosts’ favor after a dramatic sequence of events in both halves. Nashville opened the scoring early when Honduran defender Andy Najar powered home a header in the 17th minute.
Inter Miami was handed a golden opportunity to equalize in the 23rd minute when they were awarded a penalty. However, Messi’s low effort from twelve yards was expertly kept out by Nashville goalkeeper Brian Schwake. The miss marks Messi’s third consecutive penalty failure across club and country, a rare statistical slump for the legendary Argentine.
Despite the setback, Miami managed to level terms just before the break when Messi set up Venezuelan midfielder Telasco Segovia, who finished sharply in stoppage time.
The second half, however, belonged entirely to Nashville. Former MLS MVP Hany Mukhtar restored the home side’s lead in the 49th minute, before English striker Sam Surridge added a clever backheeled third. Mukhtar then capped off his stellar performance with his second of the night in the 63rd minute, putting the match well out of reach.
Messi’s evening went from bad to worse when he was shown a yellow card and saw his late stoppage-time effort agonizingly bounce off both goalposts. The resounding defeat snaps Inter Miami’s seven-match unbeaten run in MLS and leaves them sitting second on 38 points—five points behind table-topping Nashville, who extended their stellar home record.
