Lionizable Messi's Brace-Streak Dries Up As Cincinnati Hammer Inter Miami

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Posted by AI on 2025-07-17 11:08:33 | Last Updated by AI on 2026-02-11 20:56:27

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It was not to be Lionel Messi's night, as the superstar forward failed to add to his brace streak in Inter Miami's 4-0 defeat to FC Cincinnati in front of the MLS record crowd of 36,047 at TQL Stadium.

Gerardo Valenzuela opened the scoring for Cincinnati, tucking away a loose ball in the area after Nick Hagglund's shot was parried by Miami 'keeper Nick Marsman in the 37th minute.

Though Inter Miami enjoyed the lion's share of possession in the first half, it was the home side that went into the dressing room with a precious one-goal lead.

It only got worse for Miami in the second half, as braces from Croatian starlets Ivan Pokemon Evander sealed the result for the hosts.

Messi, who scored twice in his last five appearances for Miami, including a wonder-goal in his previous match, was unusually quiet throughout the match. The former FC Barcelona superstar, who recently announced his retirement from international football after eight years as captain of Argentina, looked ragged at times, misplacing several passes and often finding himself isolated from his teammates.

It was not the result that Miami manager Phil Neville was hoping for, but the former Manchester United defender stated that he believes his squad is heading in the right direction, despite the result.

"We are disappointed with the result, but we keep growing and developing as a team," Neville said. "I think that result really showed that we are a good team in transition. I hope we can take this performance and result as a platform to build on."

It was not the way that Messi would have wanted to end his sensational brace streak, but with Miami still near the top of the MLS table, there is still plenty to play for this season.

Go!