Nashville SC ousted Inter Miami CF in the 2026 Concacaf Champions Cup Round of 16 on Wednesday night, advancing on away goals following a 1-1 draw in Leg 2 at Inter Miami CF Stadium.
Thanks to Cristian Espinoza's second-half equalizer, Nashville exorcized the demons of previous knockout-round defeats against the Herons and will meet LIGA MX powerhouse Club América in the quarterfinals.
Lionel Messi opened the scoring inside the first 10 minutes, receiving a ball cut back from Sergio Reguilón and slotting a low shot inside the far post. It was the 900th goal of his historic career.
Hany Mukhtar nearly leveled the score, but the former Landon Donovan MLS MVP put his breakaway chance over the net in the 67th minute.
Seven minutes later, the visitors found their critical goal, with Espinoza smashing home following a wild scramble in front of Dayne St. Clair's net.
Messi unleashed a blast from outside the box in second-half stoppage time, but Australian international Patrick Yazbek bravely blocked the attempted winner as Nashville celebrated a historic triumph moments later.
Three Things
- THE BIG PICTURE: Biggest result in club history? That argument could be made for Nashville, who traveled to Miami and came back to knock out the reigning MLS Cup presented by Audi champions. For a Miami team who made winning the CCC a priority, the star-studded squad fell painfully short.
- MOMENT OF THE MATCH: After Lionel Messi made history with his 900th career goal in the first half, Cristian Espinoza clinched a historic result for Nashville with the equalizing goal.
- MAN OF THE MATCH: Espinoza was Nashville's big-ticket signing this offseason, arriving from the San Jose Earthquakes in free agency, and he proved to be the Argentine who scored the decisive goal in the series.
Next Up
- MIA: Sunday, March 22 at New York City FC | 1 pm (Apple TV) | MLS regular season
- NSH: Saturday, March 21 vs. Orlando City | 6:15 pm (Apple TV, FS1) | MLS regular season
