Messi Misses Third Consecutive Penalty as Miami Falls 4-1 to Nashville SC

In a challenging match on Saturday, Inter Miami suffered their third straight loss, falling 4-1 to first-place Nashville SC. Lionel Messi’s struggle continued as he missed a crucial penalty, marking his third consecutive miss.

Messi had a chance to equalize for Miami in the 23rd minute after a foul on a teammate, but his spot-kick was saved by Nashville goalkeeper Brian Schwake, diving low to his right. Although Sergio Reguilón netted the rebound, it was disallowed after a video review for encroachment. This marked the first time since 2014 that Messi had failed to convert three consecutive penalty attempts, according to ESPN Research. His previous misses included two during the summer’s World Cup with Argentina against Austria and Egypt.

Despite the early setback, Miami managed to level the score shortly after Nashville’s Andy Nájar opened the game with a goal in the 17th minute. Messi assisted Telasco Segovia, who showcased impressive footwork to score in first-half stoppage time.

However, Nashville dominated the second half. Former MLS MVP Hany Mukhtar scored twice, sandwiching a clever back-heeled goal by teammate Sam Surridge, which extended the lead to 3-1. Messi appealed to the referee for a foul that he felt occurred in the buildup to Surridge’s goal, receiving a yellow card in the process.

The match took a further downturn for Messi as he hit both posts in one attack and later had a goal disallowed for offside in second-half stoppage time. Miami’s situation worsened when goalkeeper Rocco Ríos Novo slipped outside his penalty area, allowing a long ball from Schwake to find Mukhtar, who easily scored the fourth goal.

Previously unbeaten in their last six league games, Miami entered the match with ambitions of surpassing Nashville to take the top spot in the Eastern Conference and Supporters’ Shield standings. Instead, Nashville now holds a five-point lead with 15 games remaining in the regular season.

Miami’s recent form has been bleak, compounded by defeats in their last two matches in the MLS versus Liga MX Leagues Cup, resulting in an early exit from the competition without Messi or Luis Suárez in the starting lineup. Saturday marked Messi’s return to the starting XI following the death of his father, Jorge, a week prior. After sitting out the loss to Monterrey, the 39-year-old came off the bench against León midweek. Suárez was absent throughout the Leagues Cup due to a suspension stemming from an incident in last year’s final.

Inter Miami will seek to regain their form in an upcoming match against the Philadelphia Union on Wednesday.

Special Credits: Image Courtesy of Espn