“Josef Martínez converts from the penalty spot to give Columbus Crew the lead after Casemiro's earlier booking set the tone for a tense opening.”
Pivotal“Lionel Messi responds almost instantly, restoring parity for Inter Miami just five minutes after falling behind.”
Pivotal“Santi Morales is shown a second yellow card for time-wasting in the closing seconds, leaving Inter Miami with ten men at the worst possible moment.”
Pivotal
Columbus Crew
Inter Miami
Outstanding performance
Inter Miami•AttackerColumbus Crew dominated the underlying numbers - 14 shots to 5, nine corners to one, and a commanding dominance rating of 69 to 46 - but it took until the 90th minute to finally break Inter Miami down for good. Josef Martínez opened the scoring from the penalty spot after Casemiro's early booking for dissent, only for Lionel Messi to level things up almost immediately with a trademark finish. The match then simmered through a card-heavy midfield battle, with the game turning decisively when Santi Morales picked up a second yellow for time-wasting in the dying seconds, reducing Miami to ten men just before Jamal Thiaré pounced to win it from the resulting corner. For Columbus, the result is a statement of control despite Miami's superior possession share, while for Inter Miami it's a bitter blow given how disciplined they'd otherwise been defensively, limiting Columbus's big chances to just three despite facing wave after wave of pressure.
How entertaining was this match?
Offside.
Yellow card.
Jamal ThiaréShot! Jamal Thiare scores with a right-footed shot.
Brais Mendez takes a left-footed shot, but it is saved.
Goal! Jamal Thiare scores, making it 2-1.
Corner awarded.
Santiago Morales receives a second yellow card.
Santiago Morales receives a yellow card.
Gonzalo LujánYellow CardYellow card issued to Gonzalo Lujan Melli.
Marcelo Herrera takes a right-footed shot but misses.
Corner awarded.
Anass Zaroury takes a right-footed shot that hits the post.
Cezar Abadia-Reda comes on for Sergio Reguilón.
Santiago Morales replaces Daniel Pinter.
Yellow card issued to Sekou Tidiany Bangoura.
Jamal Thiare comes on for Josef Martinez.
Marcelo Herrera replaces Eric Bertrand Bailly.
Brais Mendez takes a left-footed shot, but it is saved.
Yellow card shown to Daniel Pinter.
Corner awarded.
Yellow card issued to Eric Bertrand Bailly.
Corner awarded.
Sekou Tidiany Bangoura comes on for Dylan Chambost.
Taha Habroune takes a right-footed shot, but it is blocked.
Corner awarded.
Brais MéndezYellow CardBrais Mendez receives a yellow card.
Offside.
Riquelme is on, and Facundo Mura is off.
MicaelYellow CardYellow card shown to Micael dos Santos Silva.
Offside.
First half ends with the score tied at 1-1.
David AyalaVAR decision: Goal disallowed for offside against David Ayala.
Carlos Henrique Casimiro attempts a header but misses the shot.
Corner awarded.
Lionel Andres Messi takes a left-footed shot, but it's saved.
Josef Martinez takes a left-footed shot but misses.
Rodrigo De Paul takes a right-footed shot, but it's saved.
Anass Zaroury takes a right-footed shot that hits the post.
Lionel Andres Messi takes a left-footed shot but misses.
Brais Mendez has a left-footed shot, but it's saved.
Corner awarded.
Anass Zaroury takes a right-footed shot but misses.
Santiago Rodriguez takes a right-footed shot, but it is blocked.
Brais Mendez takes a left-footed shot, but it's saved.
David Ayala comes on for Yannick Bright.
Dylan ChambostYellow CardDylan Chambost receives a yellow card.
Shot by Lionel Andres Messi! He scores with a left-footed shot.
Goal! Lionel Andres Messi scores, making it 1-1.
Corner awarded.
Josef Martinez scores with a right-footed shot.
Goal! Josef Martinez scores from the penalty spot to make it 1-0.
CasemiroYellow CardYellow card issued to Carlos Henrique Casimiro.
Offside.
Corner awarded.
Corner awarded.
Offside.
Anass Zaroury takes a right-footed shot, but it hits the post.
Offside.
Kick-off! The referee is Víctor Rivas.
Inter Miami roll into Lower.com Field riding a strong season and third place in the East, while Columbus look to build on back-to-back wins and keep faint playoff hopes alive. With Lionel Messi and Luis Suárez in tow, this is a marquee test for a Crew side desperate for points down the stretch.
