Milestone night for Messi ends in frustration as Nashville advances

Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi (10) walks to kick a corner kick in heavy rain during the first half of a CONCACAF Champions Cup Round of 16 soccer match against Nashville in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (AP)

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., March 19 (AP): Inter Miami’s Lionel Messi got a milestone. And Nashville got a tie that felt like a win.

Messi got the 900th goal of his career, but Cristian Espinoza scored in the 74th minute to give Nashville a good-enough-to-advance 1-1 tie with Inter Miami in the second leg of their CONCACAF Champions Cup Round of 16 matchup.

Cristiano Ronaldo is the only other men’s player with more than 900 goals - at least, by official counts. It took Ronaldo about 100 more matches to get to the milestone than Messi needed; Ronaldo was 39 when he got to 900 goals in September 2024, while Messi doesn’t turn 39 until June.

The teams tied both legs of the matchup, after a 0-0 game in Nashville started the series last week. Away goals were the tiebreaker, meaning Nashville will move on to the tournament’s quarterfinals - denying the reigning MLS champions’ bid for another trophy.

“Our goal and our club's ambition is to compete against the best of North America, Central America, and the Caribbean,” Nashville coach B.J. Callaghan said. “That’s what this tournament does, brings the best of the best together. ... If you want to become an elite team and an elite club, you need to be able to perform in a prestigious tournament like this.”

Espinoza scored on a wild play where he was in the right place at the right time.

Nashville’s Alex Muyl took a shot that was blocked by a sliding Inter Miami defender, Gonzalo Luján. The ball ricocheted off Luján and into the air, the topspin carrying it toward the goal mouth, and Inter Miami goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair had to scramble to his feet to punch it away.

He didn’t punch it far. St. Clair’s momentum carried him into the net, where three other Inter Miami defenders also wound up, and Espinoza had an easy goal to pull the match even.

It was Inter Miami’s first match at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale since last season’s MLS Cup final - and, if all stays according to plan, it may be the club’s last match in the facility as well. Messi’s team doesn’t play a home MLS match until April 4, when it is scheduled to open its new stadium near Miami International Airport.

And if this was the Fort Lauderdale finale, it wasn’t a loss - but probably felt like one.

Messi, the Argentinian superstar, scored his 900th career goal in the seventh minute for a 1-0 lead. It was quintessential Messi, with him making something out of very little.

He was well-defended when he took the pass with his back to the net, about 12 yards from the goal mouth and with other players creating more traffic in front of the goal.