Messi Scores Twice and Cincinnati's Defense Falls Apart: Miami Wins 5-3 in Stunning Road Rally

Lionel Messi bagged two goals and set up another, and Inter Miami's late-game heroics turned Cincinnati's catastrophic defensive mistakes into a 5-3 road victory Wednesday night at TQL Stadium. This wasn't just a win. This was Miami exposing everything wrong with Cincinnati's back line, and the Herons are rolling hard right now.

Messi Does What Messi Does

Messi opened the scoring in the 24th minute off a pure Cincinnati disaster. He pressured center back Matt Miazga, who made the worst decision possible and played a loose pass straight into the open goal. Miazga should have just cleared it. Instead, Messi deflected it home and Miami was off and running. His second came in the 55th minute the old fashioned way: clean combination play involving Luis Suarez, a cross from Rodrigo de Paul at the penalty spot, and Messi was there to finish it. That's 10 and 11 for the season. The guy is still playing at another level.

But here's where it got wild. Messi provided the pass on Mateo Silvetti's 79th-minute equalizer that pulled Miami level at 3-3. Silvetti cut inside from the left side of the penalty area and curled one low into the bottom right corner. Messi sent in a diagonal free kick in the 84th that should have been routine for Cincinnati's Roman Celentano. Instead, center back Andrei Chirila collided with his own keeper, Celentano spilled it, and German Berterame had an empty net for the go-ahead goal. That's the kind of defensive meltdown that costs you games.

Cincinnati Can't Stop Bleeding Goals

Kevin Denkey scored his eighth for Cincinnati, and Evander added his seventh on a sharp 64th-minute strike that gave the hosts a 3-2 lead. Pavel Bucha also found the net. But none of it mattered. Cincinnati (4-5-4, 16 points) has now conceded three or more goals five times in nine games. That's a pattern, not a fluke. Their six-match unbeaten run is done.

Miami (7-2-4, 25 points) is locked in right now. They're five straight wins on the road, and they're doing it by making teams pay for mistakes. Rodrigo de Paul had two assists on the night, and the Herons proved again why they're the team to beat in this league.

The Herons head back on the road knowing they can win anywhere, anytime. Cincinnati has to figure out how to keep their defense from imploding. That's the real story here.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.