Inter Miami suffered a crushing 4-1 defeat against league leaders Nashville on Saturday, a defeat that saw Lionel Messi miss the third penalty kick in a row, handing his team a third loss in a row.
The Argentine had the opportunity to equalize 1-1 in the 23rd minute, but Nashville goalkeeper Brian Schweik blocked his attempt from the bottom right corner. Sergio Reguilon buried the rebound, only for a video review to rule it out because players had encroached on the penalty area before the kick.
ESPN stats show This is the first time since 2014 that Messi has failed to score three penalty kicks on the rebound.
His other opportunity came with Argentina in the World Cup this summer, the first against Austria in the group stage and the second against Egypt in the round of 16.
His last MLB failure before this round dates back to September 13, 2025.
Inter Miami tied after Andy Najjar opened the scoring for Nashville in the 17th minute at Giudice Park. Messi passed the assist to Telasco Segovia, who beat his player with exquisite skill before firing home in first-half stoppage time.
Nashville was in complete control after the break. Hani Mokhtar, the former Major League Soccer Player of the Year, scored two goals with a smart back-heel shot from striker Sam Surridge.
Messi boiled. He protested vehemently to the referee that a foul on him had gone unpunished in the lead-up to Surridge’s third goal, and was shown a yellow card for his trouble.
His luck completely ran out in second-half stoppage time. Both posts denied him one shot, and when the ball finally crossed the goal line, the goal was disallowed for offside.
Inter Miami gifted Nashville fourth place. Goalkeeper Rocco Rios Novo slipped and was stranded outside the penalty area, and Shawaki’s long ball fell to the onrushing Mokhtar, who slotted it into the empty net.
The reigning MLS Cup champions arrived on a six-match unbeaten run in the league. A win would have lifted them to the top of the Eastern Conference and overall Supporters’ Shield standings, above Nashville, but instead the hosts extended the lead to five points with fifteen games remaining in the regular season.
Inter Miami also lost its last two matches in the League Cup, the championship between the American League and the Mexican League, and was eliminated in the group stage before the knockout. The two defeats came with the absence of Messi and striker Luis Suarez from the starting lineup.
Saturday saw Messi return to the starting lineup for the first time since the death of his father Jorge a week ago. He did not participate in the defeat to Monterrey and came off the bench in Wednesday’s loss to Lyon, while Suarez missed the entire League Cup due to suspension due to incidents in last year’s final.
Next up is a trip to the Philadelphia Union on Wednesday, where Inter Miami will look to get back to winning ways.
