Columbus: Lionel Messi netted twice, leading Inter Miami to a 3-2 victory over the reigning Major League Soccer champions, Columbus Crew, securing the Supporters’ Shield for the best regular season record.
Messi was quiet until the 45th minute when he put Inter ahead, chesting a long pass into the box and benefiting from a deflection off Crew defender Malte Amundsen to score.
Shortly after, Messi doubled the lead, exploiting a poorly formed wall to bend a precise free-kick into the corner, eluding Columbus goalkeeper Patrick Schulte.
Columbus narrowed the gap 20 seconds into the second half, with Diego Rossi curling a shot from just inside the box into the far corner.
Immediately after, a mistake from Columbus allowed Miami to score a third, as Schulte, colliding with defender Rudy Camacho, fumbled the ball to Luis Suarez who nodded it into the open net.
The Crew reduced the deficit to 3-2 with a Cucho Hernandez penalty following a handball by Noah Allen. However, Columbus’s momentum was halted when Camacho received a second yellow card for a high challenge on Federico Redondo.
With seven minutes remaining, the Crew had a chance to equalize and spoil Miami’s celebration with a penalty for handball against Ian Fray, confirmed by VAR.
But Hernandez’s subsequent penalty was tepid, and Miami’s goalkeeper Drake Callender saved it, diving to his right. The MLS champion is ultimately decided by the MLS Cup playoffs, potentially setting up another clash between Eastern Conference adversaries Crew and Miami.
