The seconds were racing away as Nashville SC bitterly held on to their clean sheet against Inter Miami when Lionel Messi picked up the ball on the right wing.
Opening up his body to curl in a cross, Messi chopped past Jacob Shaffelburg, skipped away from Daniel Lovitz and drilled a right-footed shot towards the bottom corner. The packed Miami crowd, which included royalty from boxing and baseball, rose as one in expectation of yet another Messi miracle. But it didn't arrive.
Elliot Panicco thrust out his boot to divert the last-gasp effort away. Nashville's scrum cap-clad shot-stopper ensured that he would forever go down in history as the first goalkeeper to go through an entire match without conceding a goal either scored or assisted by Messi since his arrival in Miami.
Here's everything you need to know about the first blank of Messi's Inter Miami career.
Lionel Messi's hot streak for Inter Miami
On his first appearance at Miami's DRV PNK Stadium, Messi did deliver a late miracle. In the 94th minute, Miami's new saviour bent a stunning free-kick into the top corner to down Cruz Azul. The goal that kick-started Miami's charge to the Leagues Cup title has been watched more than 200 million times since.
Messi scored in all seven of his appearances in the Leagues Cup, a competition only founded in 2019 between club sides from North America's Major League Soccer and Mexican teams in Liga MX.
Few players in the history of football have scored as many goals as Messi (a tally that stands at 824 despite his blank against Nashville) but almost all of the often spectacular strikes have been celebrated with the same understated pose; pointing up to the sky in acknowledgement of his grandmother, the first person that encouraged Messi to get involved in organised football.
However, Messi has been inspired by Hollywood since arriving in America. First Thor, then Black Panther followed by Spider-Man, Messi imitated Marvel superheroes after watching the films with his children during Inter Miami's Leagues Cup run.
FC Cincinnati, the first team to clinch a play-off spot this season, ended Messi's seven-game scoring streak in the US Open Cup semi-final. Messi may not have found the net himself but he created both of Miami's goals to force extra time, including a sumptuous cross onto Leo Campana's forehead in the 97th minute.
To the dismay of the assembled crowd in Times Square, Messi started on the bench against New York Red Bulls for his MLS debut but still found the net during a 30-minute cameo.
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How Nashville muzzled Lionel Messi
Nashville had been burned by Messi's brilliance barely a week earlier when Miami's number 10 popped up with a sensational opener "out of nothing", as Gary Smith sighed after losing the Leagues Cup final. However, just as importantly, Nashville had been badly stung by a 4-0 thrashing from Atlanta United four days before travelling to Miami. The solution was straightforward; shut up shop.
Smith lauded his side's performance as "a resounding display without the ball". One of the two holding midfielders, Brian Anunga, explained: "Messi likes to drift in those pockets and find those balls, especially behind. So we tried to limit those chances throughout the game. The tactic was to stay compact, stay disciplined and stay focused throughout 90 minutes, which is not easy to do."
Nashville had lined up with two strikers in the form of Sam Surridge and reigning MLS MVP Hany Mukhtar for the Leagues Cup final but both were dropped in place of a more reserved 4-2-3-1. "When you put many players close to your own goal," Inter Miami's manager Tata Martino sniffed, "normally you're going to have a good chance of keeping a clean sheet."
Inter Miami had lashings of possession and Messi was allowed to let rip with seven shots - as many as the Nashville team combined - but five of the Argentine's efforts were blocked before reaching Panicco in goal.
This impressive parsimony is nothing new for Nashville; the team from Music City boast the best defensive record in the Eastern Conference. As Anunga took great pride in pointing out: "We went very compact. It's Nashville Soccer Club, if you've been following us that's what we're known for."
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This article was originally published on 90min as How Lionel Messi's Inter Miami statistics look after incredible streak ends.
