Messi and Suárez fail to score as Inter Miami held to a draw
Despite creating multiple chances, Lionel Messi and Luis Suárez couldn’t find the net — for the first time this season in Major League Soccer, Inter Miami failed to score.
After a dull first half, Messi sparked to life and created some brilliant chances. But luck wasn’t on his side. The Argentine superstar saw two of his free-kicks crash off the crossbar. Luis Suárez did put the ball in the net once, but it was ruled out for offside. In the end, Inter Miami were forced to settle for a goalless draw.
Facing Chicago Fire on Sunday night, Miami couldn’t capitalize on their full-strength squad and dropped crucial points in a 0–0 draw — their second draw in a row — missing a chance to go top of the Eastern Conference table.
Chicago, on the other hand, also had their share of opportunities. Both goalkeepers were standout performers. Miami’s Oscar Ustari made seven saves, while Chicago’s Chris Brady stopped three shots.
The match had a slow start, but early on, Messi tried his luck from outside the box with a trademark curling left-footer, only for Brady to make a brilliant diving save. Just before halftime, Suárez found himself in space near the box but failed to make it count.
In the 64th minute, Messi struck a powerful free-kick from outside the area. Brady got just enough of a fingertip on it to deflect it off the crossbar — a frustrating miss for the Argentine magician.
Twenty minutes later, Messi tried again from near the corner spot. Brady was beaten this time, but again, the crossbar came to Chicago’s rescue. It was yet another moment of heartbreak for Inter Miami.
A minute later, Messi played a long ball forward to Suárez, who found the net with a sharp left-footed finish. However, the referee had already blown the whistle for offside before Suárez made contact.
Late in the match, Chicago’s Jonathan Bamba gave Miami a scare with a powerful effort, but Ustari stood tall to keep the clean sheet.
Overall, it was a commanding performance from Chicago in front of their home crowd. They registered 16 shots with 7 on target, compared to Miami’s 10 shots, only 3 of which were on goal.
After seven matches, Inter Miami sit fourth in the Eastern Conference with 15 points from 4 wins and 3 draws. Chicago, with one more game played, are eighth with 12 points.
