COLUMBUS, Ohio — Lionel Messi bent a free kick into the far top corner from a seemingly impossible angle on Sunday, but Inter Miami still lost 2-1 to the Columbus Crew after substitute Jamal Thiaré scored deep into second-half stoppage time, denying the Argentine a point on a night he continued to add to his goal tally.

Miami fell behind in the 28th minute when Josef Martínez, a former Inter Miami striker, converted a penalty for Columbus. The spot kick was awarded after Miami's Yannick Bright fouled him inside the area. Messi answered five minutes later. With a free kick wide on the right wing, and with most people in the stadium, including the Columbus defense and goalkeeper Patrick Schulte, expecting a cross into a crowded penalty area, Messi instead sent his left-footed effort curling around the wall and into the far top corner, ESPN reported.

Lionel Messi
Lionel Messi

The strike was Messi's 12th direct free-kick goal for Inter Miami in all competitions and his sixth this season. It was also his 21st goal in Major League Soccer this year, extending his lead in the Golden Boot race to three goals over FC Dallas forward Petar Musa. The 39-year-old now has 21 goals and 11 assists in 24 league appearances in 2026, according to HITC.

The goal also moved Messi closer to a landmark that has followed his career for years. HITC reported that he is now just two free-kick goals from becoming the top scorer from set pieces in football history, while a separate Yahoo Sports tally put his career total at 76 free-kick goals, with the all-time record held by Brazil's Marcelinho Carioca. Free-kick totals are compiled by different databases and can differ, which is reflected in the varying counts, but the coverage agrees that the record is now within reach.

Messi remained a threat after the break. Columbus goalkeeper Patrick Schulte denied him from distance, including a two-handed save in the 62nd minute from around 15 yards, and Messi also sent another effort into the side netting, according to ESPN and NewsX. Miami thought it had gone in front when David Ayala found the net, but the goal was ruled out for offside. Riquelme Fillipi, a Palmeiras academy product signed for $5.5 million, made his first appearance for the club in the 72nd minute.

The match turned against Miami late. Substitute Santiago Morales came on in the 87th minute, was booked in the 90th and sent off in the 93rd, leaving Miami a man down. Columbus pressed its advantage, and in the eighth minute of second-half stoppage time, Thiaré scored from a rebound after Miami goalkeeper Rocco Ríos Novo failed to hold a shot from Brais Méndez, ESPN reported. Some outlets put the goal in the ninth minute of stoppage time. Columbus had also been denied three times by the woodwork through Anass Zaroury, Goal reported, before Thiaré settled the contest.

Miami controlled much of the match but could not turn that into points. The visitors finished with 55% possession and 533 passes, according to HITC. Messi ended with three shots, two on target and two key passes, and completed 27 of his 29 passes. The result leaves Inter Miami on 46 points and third in the Eastern Conference, per Goal, while Columbus moved up to 29 points and into 12th place, a result that Goal noted carried significance for the Crew's push to reach the knockout rounds.

The loss was a reminder that dominance in possession does not always translate into results. Messi's free kick, though, offered another highlight in a season in which he has continued to produce at a high level well into his late 30s.

The performance came days before Messi's farewell from the Argentina national team. He will play his final match in an Argentina jersey on October 6 against Benin at Buenos Aires' Monumental Stadium, ESPN reported, after announcing the end of his international career. Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni said on Friday that he pushed for the game to take place. "Personally, I did my part because I wanted to be at his farewell," Scaloni told reporters.

No post-match comments from Messi or Inter Miami's coaching staff were available in the coverage reviewed for this article, so it does not include any. What is clear from the numbers is that Messi continues to be central to Miami's attack and to the league's scoring race, even on a night when a stoppage-time goal, a red card and a costly goalkeeping error left his team empty-handed.

With the MLS season heading toward its closing weeks, Miami will look to bounce back from a defeat that cost it a chance to tighten its hold on a top-three spot in the East, while Messi's next free-kick goal would bring him one step closer to a record that he is now widely expected to reach.

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