2 goals from Lionel Messi, unusual mistakes vs Inter Miami lead Columbus Crew to 3-2 loss
It was familiar territory for the Crew, being down 2-0 against Inter Miami.
Earlier this season, Columbus had managed to come back from that deficit to defeat Miami. The difference between then and the clubs' most recent meeting is Miami had its star forward Lionel Messi this time around.
On Wednesday, the Crew were defeated 3-2 by Miami behind two first-half goals from Messi. The victory secured Miami the 2024 Supporters' Shield, a title given to the club with the best record during the regular season.
Replay: Lionel Messi scores 2, Columbus Crew falls 3-2 vs Inter Miami
Looking at the box score, it would be easy to conclude that Messi, who was playing for the first time against Columbus, was the reason Miami walked out of Lower.com Field the winner, and Messi did play a large role.
"He had one-and-a-half opportunities, and he scored two goals," Crew coach Wilfried Nancy said. "This is why he's Messi. I think that they did a good job. They controlled what they needed to control."
Messi's most impactful moments of the game all happened by the time halftime hit, however. During the other 45-plus minutes, the Crew got in their own way.
Quickly after Diego Rossi scored the Crew's first goal, for instance, goalkeeper Patrick Schulte and defender Rudy Camacho collided with each other and allowed Miami's Luis Suarez to score. And just two minutes after striker Cucho Hernandez scored on a penalty kick to cut the lead to 3-2, Camacho was shown a red card for having received his second yellow card of the game.
That meant for over 25 minutes, the Crew had to play with 10 men.
"It's football, simple as that," Nancy said. "They wanted to do well. Rudy saved us many times during the season, and tonight he had not a good night, he knows that."
Lionel Messi only needed five minutes to put his two goals for Inter Miami into the back of Columbus Crew's net
For a majority of the first half, the Crew were able to hold off Messi and the entire Miami lineup from getting nearly any offensive action. The only shot Miami took before Messi's goal was an attempt in the 40th minute from Suarez that Schulte saved.
It was five minutes later that Messi saw his first window of opportunity inside the Crew's box.
After fighting off two defenders for the ball, Messi went one-on-one with Schulte and won, sending his shot past the Crew goalkeeper. Another five minutes after that, Messi set up to take a free kick right outside the Crew's box following a foul charged to Camacho. Messi bent the ball around a wall of Columbus' defenders for his second goal.
"Obviously a player like that is difficult to prepare for," Crew midfielder Max Arfsten said. "We just tried to be very aware of where he is, because he finds good spaces, and just did what we can to limit his chances. And, it goes without saying he's quality."
'Unlucky' series of events led to Columbus Crew failing to capitalize in second half vs Inter Miami
Columbus had found an opening during the first minute of the second half when Rossi scored the team's first goal, and the crowd at Lower.com Field was roaring.
The cheers continued once the officials indicated there were no violations on Rossi's goal, and Miami kicked the ball off the restart play.
In as little time as it took Rossi to cut Miami's advantage to 2-1, Miami would be able to flip the script back to a two-goal lead.
Suarez was sent a long pass into the Crew's box less than 30 seconds after Miami's kickoff. As Schulte went to go play the ball, Camacho was running with his back to the goal and ran right into Schulte. The hit knocked the ball right out of Schulte's hands, allowing Suarez to set up an easy header.
"It was loud in there," Schulte said. "I gave a keeper shout, but I guess it wasn't loud enough. It was right after we scored, so the place was rocking. And just, from my point of view, I just got to be louder and maybe call them off a little later next time.
Camacho's night got even worse when he earned the red card. But even after his mistake, there were still openings for Columbus.
The Crew were gifted free scoring opportunities in the second half with Miami managing to commit two handball violations within its own box. This gave Hernandez two penalty kick attempts.
Hernandez drilled his first attempt. But on his second shot, at the 84-minute mark, Miami goalkeeper Drake Callender made a diving save.
"It’s difficult," Crew midfielder Darlington Nagbe said. "At that point, it's just all mental, how fast can we recover from it? I thought we did a good job getting the second goal, and I thought it was just a matter of time. If we play longer, I think we can get the third. And then unlucky not to convert the penalty, but Cucho, he is who he is and he normally knocks those down."
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Lionel Messi leads Inter Miami to 3-2 win vs Columbus Crew: Takeaways
