Jamal Thiare scored off a rebound in the eighth minute of second-half stoppage time to give the host Columbus Crew a pulsating 2-1 win over Inter Miami on Sunday.
Thiare, who entered in the 83rd minute, scored after a Brais Mendez shot was spilled by Rocco Rios Novo to give the Crew their first MLS win over Miami since Aug. 31, 2022.
Lionel Messi scored in the 33rd minute to counter a Josef Martinez penalty that put the Crew ahead eight minutes earlier.
The Crew (8-14-5, 29 points) are four points out of the final playoff spot in the East with seven matches left.
Miami (12-5-10, 46 points) is third in the Eastern Conference and is 1-3-6 in the past 10 matches.
Miami had seven of the 12 yellow cards and Santiago Morales was issued a red card after his second caution in the sixth minute of stoppage. He picked up both within a three-minute span.
The first half had the intensity befitting two of the best teams in the league from 2023-25, when the rivals played many heated matches.
In front of a sellout crowd, which per usual consisted of a large number of fans wearing Messi jerseys, the Crew took the lead on the Martinez penalty for his 131st MLS goal and first in nine matches for Columbus.
He was dragged down by Yannick Bright in front of the goal on a corner kick, but play continued for more than a minute before a stoppage allowed referee Victor Rivas to review the play.
After he pointed to the spot, the Miami players erupted because they felt a Crew handball had been overlooked earlier. Rivas then issued a yellow card to Miami midfielder Casemiro for dissent before Martinez deposited the ball into the left corner.
The Crew controlled the opening 45 minutes and limited Miami to one shot, but it was an exquisite free kick from Messi, starting with a left-footed in-swinger from the right wing that snuck inside the upper back post.
He nearly put Miami ahead in the 62nd minute, forcing Patrick Schulte into a two-handed parry of his strike from 15 yards.
Miami was already missing seven players to international duty when Bright left with an injury in the 40th minute.
–Field Level Media
