By SCM Sports Desk I Monday, Sept 21, 2026
LIONEL MESSI produced yet another piece of trademark magic, but even the Argentine maestro could not prevent Inter Miami from slipping to a fourth consecutive MLS draw in a pulse-pounding 2-2 thriller against San Diego FC at Nu Stadium.
On a night designed to celebrate footballing royalty, Danish winger Anders Dreyer crashed the party in style, scoring twice to hand the visitors an unexpected point and leave Miami 11 points behind Eastern Conference leaders Nashville.
The Florida sunshine was beating down as Cristian ‘Kily’ Gonzalez watched his side get off to a disastrous start. Just 12 minutes into the contest, Jeppe Tverskov sliced through Miami’s defense with a exquisite through-ball, releasing Dreyer, who lifted a delicate chip over advancing goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair to silence the home crowd.
However, when you have Lionel Messi on the pitch, salvation is never far away. In the 24th minute, after being brought down on the edge of the penalty area, the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner stepped up to execute a moment of pure mastery.
Curling a left-footed free-kick around the wall, the ball clipped the inside of the post before crossing the line beyond goalkeeper CJ dos Santos.
The strike marked Messi’s 101st goal in an Inter Miami shirt, his 20th in the 2026 MLS campaign, and a staggering 75th free-kick goal of his career, pushing his overall goal tally to 930.
Miami proceeded to lay total siege to the San Diego goal for the remainder of the afternoon. Supported by a star-studded midfield containing Brazil icon Casemiro and Argentine world champion Rodrigo De Paul, Miami controlled long stretches of territory.
In total, the hosts controlled 50 percent of possession and unleashed 21 total shots, testing the opposing stopper on 9 occasions while forcing 7 saves from an inspired dos Santos. San Diego, by contrast, remained patient and ruthlessly clinical, managing 7 total shots with 3 hitting the target from their 50 percent slice of the ball.
The pressure finally told in the 74th minute. De Paul slipped a brilliant pass into the path of veteran striker Luis Suárez, and the 39-year-old Uruguayan hammered home a finish from a tight angle to put Miami 2-1 ahead and seemingly en route to all three points.
Yet San Diego refused to lay down. In the 82nd minute, Tverskov again turned architect, floating a precision pass over Miami’s high defensive line. Dreyer latched onto the ball on the break and finished coolly past St. Clair to complete his brace and shock the Florida spectators.
In a frantic conclusion, San Diego nearly snatched a dramatic winner deep into stoppage time when Kieran Sargeant was denied by a crucial St. Clair block.
Both teams finished with an identical 50 percent share of possession, though Miami’s aggression showed in the foul count, committing 20 infractions and earning two yellow cards for Yannick Bright and Alexander Shaw compared to San Diego’s 10 fouls and single booking for Ian Murphy.
Miami completed 462 accurate passes out of 518 attempted for an 89 percent passing accuracy, slightly edging San Diego’s 412 accurate passes from 468 attempts at an 88 percent rate.
Despite dominating the overall tally of 4 corners to 1, Miami were left frustrated at the final whistle as Dreyer’s double ensured the spoils were shared in a spectacular four-goal thriller.