Messi Scores Twice and Exposes Cincinnati's Defense in Wild 5-3 Miami Comeback

Lionel Messi did what Lionel Messi does: he made Cincinnati pay for every mistake. The Inter Miami star tallied two goals and an assist Wednesday night as the Herons stormed back from a 3-2 deficit to demolish FC Cincinnati 5-3 at TQL Stadium, extending their road winning streak to five straight games.

Miami now sits at 7-2-4 with 25 points. Cincinnati, meanwhile, is stuck at 4-5-4 with 16 points after their six-match unbeaten run came to a crashing halt. This was a rematch nobody expected to look like this after Miami's dominant 4-0 win over Cincinnati in the 2025 Eastern Conference semifinals.

Messi's Early Damage

Messi opened the scoring in the 24th minute by capitalizing on a terrible decision from Cincinnati center back Matt Miazga. Under pressure from Messi, Miazga tried an ill-advised pass instead of simply clearing the ball. Messi deflected it straight into an open goal. The kind of mistake that makes you shake your head.

He leveled the match at 2-all in the 55th minute with a more conventional finish, running onto a Rodrigo de Paul cross at the penalty spot after some nice combination play involving Luis Suarez. Two goals, one assist, and Miami's offense was already in rhythm.

Cincinnati Collapses, Miami Capitalizes

Cincinnati's defense literally fell apart down the stretch. Kevin Denkey had given the hosts a 3-2 lead with his eighth goal of the season, and Evander added his seventh with a sharp 64th-minute strike. But that's when things got ugly for the home team.

Mateo Silvetti pulled Miami level at 3-3 in the 79th minute after a Cincinnati turnover in their own end. Messi sent a perfect pass to the 20-year-old on the left side of the penalty area, and Silvetti cut inside and buried a low finish into the bottom right corner.

Five minutes later, German Berterame put Miami in front 4-3. Cincinnati goalkeeper Roman Celentano was expecting a comfortable catch on Messi's diagonal free kick toward the top of the 6-yard box. But center back Andrei Chirila collided with his own keeper, who spilled the ball, giving Berterame an easy finish into an open net. That's the kind of defensive breakdown that sinks seasons.

Messi nearly completed a hat trick in the 89th minute when he ran onto Silvetti's cross and drove a sliding finish off the inside of the right post, but it bounced off Celentano and over the line and was ruled an own goal.

Cincinnati conceded three or more goals for the fifth time in nine games. For a team fighting to climb back into contention, that stat is brutal. Miami is rolling. The Herons are your team to watch in MLS right now.

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