Nashville ended a two-and-a-half year winning streak against Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami and forced a decisive third game.
Published November 2, 2025
Lionel Messi’s 89th-minute goal was too little, too late as Nashville SC defeated Inter Miami 2-1 on Saturday to stay alive in the first round of the Major League Soccer (MLS) Cup playoff series.
It was Nashville’s first win against Inter Miami since May 2023, ending a 10-game winless streak.
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At a rainy Geodis Park in Tennessee, first-half goals from Sam Surridge and Josh Bauer gave Nashville the lead, but Argentine superstar Messi’s Miami team couldn’t find a way to fight back.
Surridge put the hosts ahead with a penalty in the ninth minute, firing a low shot to the right of diving Miami goalkeeper Rocco Rios Novo.
Nashville were awarded a spot kick after Rios Novo hesitated to step off his line against the onrushing Surridge.
Bauer slid in with his left foot from the corner off Hany Mukhtar’s floater to give Nashville a 2-0 lead at halftime.
Miami started the second half in bold style, but in the 66th minute Luis Suarez’s shot from close range was deflected by Nashville goalkeeper Joe Willis.
Miami regained control of the ball, but Ian Frey attempted a quick shot from inside the area, but it was blocked.
Messi gained momentum in the closing stages, having his awkwardly angled shot from the right blocked in the 85th minute, saving a shot from the center of the box in the 86th minute and finding the back of the net in the 89th minute.
Rodrigo de Paul found Messi in the top right corner of the box, and the new MLS Golden Boot winner kicked the defender with his back foot and fired a left-footed shot into the top right corner to reduce the gap to one point.
Miami took control of the series with a 3-1 win in Game 1, boosted by Messi’s two goals, but will now have to host a decisive Game 3 in Florida on Saturday.
It’s an unwelcome reminder of last year, when Miami entered the playoffs with the best record in the regular season, winning the opening game against Atlanta United, but Atlanta won the next two games to close out the playoffs.
The winner of the series will face either Columbus or Cincinnati. Cincinnati takes a 1-0 series lead into Sunday’s second game.
