Lionel Messi unable to inspire Inter Miami as New York Red Bulls claim victory

Inter Miami’s push at the top of the Eastern Conference suffered a setback as they were beaten 2-0 by New York Red Bulls, with Lionel Messi introduced from the bench but unable to change the outcome.

Inter Miami fell behind in the seventh minute after Casemiro turned the ball into his own net, giving the hosts an early advantage. A Major League Soccer post on social media also highlighted Adri Mehmeti’s skill in the build-up and credited Julian Hall with opening the scoring.

New York Red Bulls continued to threaten as Inter Miami struggled to play out from the back. Canada goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair prevented the deficit from growing with several important saves, including efforts to deny Ronald Donkor, Mexico forward Jorge Rovalcaba and Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting.

Messi came on in the 56th minute, replacing Riquelme Felipe, as Inter Miami tried to recover from their slow start. His arrival brought greater attacking threat, but the visitors could not turn their pressure into a goal.

They came closest to equalising in the 84th minute. Ethan Horvath saved Santiago Morales’ attempt before Venezuela international Telasco Segovia struck the crossbar with a follow-up effort.

That missed opportunity proved costly. Emil Forsberg settled the match in the 91st minute, finishing after a pass from Cameron Harper to complete New York Red Bulls’ 2-0 win. Major League Soccer described the Swedish midfielder’s goal as the “exclamation point” in a post celebrating the result.

Despite the defeat, Inter Miami remain second in the Eastern Conference with 55 points. They are 15 points behind Nashville, who have secured the Supporters’ Shield with three regular-season matches still to play.

Nashville sealed the trophy, awarded to the team with the best record in the regular season, after beating Montreal 2-0. Their victory took them to 70 points and confirmed the first Supporters’ Shield in the club’s history, according to Mundo Deportivo.