Inter Miami suffered heartbreak as they were knocked out by Nashville SC on Wednesday night in their CONCACAF Champions Cup round of 16 second leg match.
However, despite the loss, the night turned historic for Argentine legend Lionel Messi, who scored his 900th career goal.
Cristian Espinoza scored in the second half as the match ended 1-1 in Fort Lauderdale, leaving the tie level 1-1 on aggregate. However, Nashville advanced on the away-goals rule and will now face Club America for a place in the semifinals.
Messi opened the scoring in the seventh minute with a calm finish, but the reigning MLS Cup champions failed to find another goal. Early in the game, Sergio Reguilon set him up for a 10-yard strike that slipped through a defender's legs into the net.
Lionel Messi Joins Elite Club With Cristiano Ronaldo
Lionel Messi scored his 900th career goal on Wednesday to become the second player to reach the mark in elite men's football after Cristiano Ronaldo. The 38-year-old Argentine World Cup winner brought up the milestone with a left-footed strike in Inter Miami's 1-1 draw with Nashville SC in the CONCACAF Champions Cup.
Meanwhile, the 900th goal made Messi only the second player in history to reach 900 career goals, behind Cristiano Ronaldo. Inter manager Javier Mascherano saidMessi's tally was 'insane'.
'I've been lucky enough to see most, or many, of the goals he's scored, much closer than you all, and that's a privilege,' he added. 'The number we're talking about is insane, and that's why Leo is a one of a kind.'
Messi, who has won the Ballon d'Or eight times, reached the landmark in his 1,142nd appearance for club and country, nearly 100 games fewer than Ronaldo, who took 1,236 games to reach the milestone in September 2024. Portuguese forward Ronaldo has now reached 965 goals and has targeted the 1,000-mark before he quits the game.
The majority of Messi's goals came during his spell at Barcelona, where he scored 672 times. He added 32 at Paris St-Germain and 81 for Inter Miami and scored 115 for Argentina, with whom he won the World Cup in 2022. Messi's teammates have been able to depend on him at crucial times with 175 of his goals coming in knockout matches, including 35 in finals.
His 129 goals in Europe's Champions League is second only to Ronaldo's 140.
Messi's milestone goal came on a bittersweet night for Miami, who exited the competition on away goals after the first leg of their tie ended 0-0.
(With inputs from Reuters)