Messi magic put Inter Miami within touching distance of victory, but a stoppage-time equaliser from Sam Surridge earned Nashville SC a dramatic 2-2 draw in Major League Soccer on Sunday.
The game was more up and down in the early stages with Nashville taking the lead in the fourth minute when Surridge converted Andy Najar’s flick-on from the edge of the box. After offside defender Reed Baker-Whiting had mishandled the ball and it had found its own way, Miami found itself behind 15 minutes later, but the hosts would not give up.Miami found itself in the back of the net 15 minutes later after a massive error by offside defender Reed Baker-Whiting, but the hosts were not to be given up.
Messi almost did the job before the break-time when his long-range shot, in the 27th minute, hit a deflection off a defender. There were no further breakthroughs till half-time when they were tied 1-1. After the break Inter Miami were more aggressive and could eventually find their stride in attack in the 62nd minute. Messi found Rodriguez de Paul who followed up with a great left-footed finish around 20 yards.
The goal would be Messi’s 19th in the MLS season and had looked like Miami had another big win ahead of them. However, Nashville was not about to give up. Surridge did it again in the first minute of the stoppage time as he beat the home side for the second time and quieted the crowd.
The win kept their winning streak against Inter Miami at four games and served as yet another testament to their competitiveness against one of the league’s top teams. Nashville also reinforced their control of the Eastern Conference. The point helped move them nine points out of second place with Inter Miami, who were frustrated when they lost the lead late in the game.
