Lionel Messi missed a penalty for the first time since 2022 as Inter Miami suffered a chastening 3-0 defeat at red-hot Charlotte FC on Saturday.
Messi was given a chance to score his 20th goal of the MLS season in the 32nd minute at Bank of America Stadium after a VAR review determined he had been fouled in the penalty box by Charlotte’s Djibril Diani.
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Full of confidence after scoring two goals in Argentina‘s recent win over Venezuela, Messi stepped up and tried a delicate Panenka chip down the middle. But Charlotte goalkeeper Kristijan Kahlina stood tall and stretched out a hand to deny the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner.
Messi had scored all three previous penalties he had taken for Miami, with his last miss coming in Argentina’s group stage match against Poland at the 2022 World Cup.
“I think if there’s one thing we can’t do is be unfair about, blame, or cling to the penalty,” Miami head coach Javier Maschaerno said. “It’s a game situation. Clearly, if there’s anyone who’s helped us win all season, it’s been Leo.”
Things almost immediately went from bad to worse for Messi and Miami. Buoyed by their escape, Charlotte surged down the other end of the field and Kerwin Vargas crossed low for Idan Toklomati to beat Oscar Ustari in the Miami goal.
Toklomati went on to complete his hat trick in the second half, doubling the hosts’ lead from close range in the 47th minute before slamming home a penalty following a foul on Wilfried Zaha in the 84th.
Miami had little response, going closest to getting a goal back when Messi played Tadeo Allende through on goal but Kahlina again pulled off a save.
To add to Mascherano’s woes, Miami finished the game with 10 men after defender Tomás Avilés received a second yellow card in the 79th minute.
The victory was Charlotte’s ninth in a row in the league, equaling the MLS record set by the Seattle Sounders in 2018. It also strengthened its place in the top four of the Eastern Conference standings and left Miami, which still has games in hand, just above the playoff line and with plenty of work to do in the remaining weeks of the season.
Miami was playing without striker Luis Suárez, after he was given a three-game MLS ban — and six-match Leagues Cup suspension — for spitting at a Seattle staffer following defeat for the south Florida side in the Leagues Cup final on Aug. 31. Miami faces a rematch with Seattle in MLS play on Tuesday.
“Well, it clearly worries me, we lost 3-0,” Mascherano said. “Obviously, we were hoping to play a good game and get the three points, to get back to winning ways to build confidence and take a step forward in everything that’s coming up. That’s what we have to deal with now.
“Unfortunately, it wasn’t the night we wanted, and we’re trying to get back on our feet quickly because on Tuesday we have another very tough game against an opponent we know, a team we played recently. We’ll get out of this situation by working hard and, above all, winning. I don’t know any other way to get out.”
Information from ESPN’s Lizzy Becherano and ESPN Research was used in this report.
