Football

Inter Miami Held to Draw by San Diego as Title Hopes Falter

  • Authored By: Sports Now
  • Updated Sep 21, 2026, 09:17 IST

Lionel Messi scored his 101st goal for Inter Miami, but a brace from Anders Dreyer earned San Diego a 2-2 draw, leaving Miami 11 points behind Nashville in the Eastern Conference standings.

Inter Miami Held to Draw by San Diego as Title Hopes Falter

Inter Miami’s pursuit of the top spot in the Major League Soccer Eastern Conference hit a significant hurdle on Sunday following a 2-2 draw against San Diego at Nu Stadium. The result leaves the side trailing league leaders Nashville by 11 points with only eight regular-season matches left to play.

The visitors took an early lead in the 12th minute when Danish forward Anders Dreyer converted a precise through ball from Jeppe Tverskov, lifting a chip over Miami goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair. Despite the setback, the hosts responded midway through the first half when Lionel Messi equalized with a curling free-kick from the edge of the penalty area, marking his 101st goal for the club.

Miami Frustrated Despite Dominant Display

Following the equalizer, the home side controlled the majority of possession and territory, forcing the San Diego defense to withstand sustained pressure. Both Luis Suarez and Rodrigo De Paul created opportunities, but the visitors remained resilient. The breakthrough for Miami finally arrived in the 74th minute, as De Paul set up Suarez, who finished clinically to put his team ahead 2-1.

With the match approaching its conclusion, San Diego managed a dramatic response in the final ten minutes. Tverskov once again provided the creative spark, finding Dreyer with a lofted pass that the forward converted to level the score at 2-2. The closing stages were chaotic, with San Diego nearly securing an unlikely win in stoppage time, only for St. Clair to deny Kieran Sargeant during a late counter-attack.