Columbus took the lead through a 28th-minute Josef Martínez penalty, but Messi answered five minutes later, curling a superb free-kick into the net from an extremely tight angle on the right. Lionel Messi scored a brilliant equaliser but could not prevent Inter Miami from suffering a costly 2-1 defeat to Columbus Crew in Major League Soccer on Sunday. Despite persistent rumours surrounding his eventual retirement, the Argentine maestro continued to show his class, restoring parity and bringing his regular-season tally to 21 goals.
The game looked to be heading for a draw but deep into stoppage time Columbus grabbed a winner. Brais Mendez unleashed a curling shot from the edge of the area which Miami goalkeeper Rocco Rios Novo failed to secure.
With rumours of retirement from football also looming large, fans were stunned to see the Argentina great still pulling strings, scoring goals like he did against Columbus on Sunday. Messi, having retired from international football, is now focused entirely on his career at Inter Miami. Given a dead-ball on the right side of the goal, Messi went for the goal from the narrowest of angles, leaving the goalkeeper and his own teammates stunned with his execution. Messi almost put Miami ahead in the 62nd minute when he burst forward and shot at goal, only to see his effort tipped over by Crew goalkeeper Patrick Schulte. Miami thought they had taken the lead moments later when substitute David Ayala darted clear of the Columbus back four and crashed a shot past Schulte at the near post. But the goal was chalked off after Ayala was ruled fractionally offside. Columbus meanwhile looked lively at the other end, and new Moroccan signing Anass Zaroury twice hitting the woodwork, including with one spectacular long-range effort that cannoned off the underside of the bar.
