Lionel Messi finally had a bad night by his standards as Inter Miami CF were held to a 0-0 draw by Nashville SC at DRV PNK Stadium on Wednesday night.
The Argentine star had played nine games for Miami since moving to MLS in July and all nine had resulted in victories – six from play and three from penalties in League Cup, US Open Cup and MLS games.
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But on Wednesday, Messi’s magical left boot failed to score a game-winning goal after finding the net 11 times in his first nine games, and Miami dropped points in its long-running bid to reach the MLS playoffs.
It was the first time since Messi’s arrival that Miami remained goalless.
Messi started Wednesday’s game alongside former Barcelona teammate Sergio Busquets after the pair entered in the 60th minute in Miami’s last game against the New York Red Bulls.
Lionel Messi takes a shot in Inter Miami’s MLS game against Nashville.
Miami had no shots on goal in the first 60 minutes as the team struggled to break through seventh-place Nashville’s defense.
Messi attempted a free kick in the 60th minute after fouling Nashville’s Dax McCarty, but the shot into the bottom left corner was stopped by Elliot Panicco.
Still, Inter Miami fans pulled out their phones to record the free kick, just in case the seven-time Ballon d’Or scored another similar goal to the one he scored on his debut – when he scored in the 94th minute to give Miami the win over Mexican club Cruz Azul in the opening game of the League Cup.
In the 69th minute, a goal by Nahsville’s Hany Mukhtar was negated by an offside call.
In the 83rd minute, Messi had another chance, but the shot bounced off the defensive wall.
The two teams met in the League Cup final 10 days ago. Messi scored early in regulation time and converted the first shot in a penalty shootout, and Miami won after an 11-round penalty shootout to secure their first-ever trophy.
Messi and Inter Miami players, along with co-owner Jorge Mas, posed on the pitch with the League Cup trophy in front of their home fans for the first time on Wednesday.
The draw leaves Miami with 22 points with 10 games to play, putting them 10 points behind the final playoff spot currently occupied by the Chicago Fire. Messi and Co. will travel to BMO Stadium this weekend to face reigning MLS Cup champions LAFC on Sunday.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this story.