Columbus vs Inter Miami: Messi's Free-Kick Not Enough as Crew Win Late in MLS Clash

The term "columbus vs inter miami" surged in India on 27–28 September 2026, with Google Trends recording roughly 100,000 searches and 1,000% growth over 24 hours. The spike followed an MLS regular-season match on 28 September 2026 in which Lionel Messi scored a curling free-kick for Inter Miami, only for Columbus Crew to snatch a late victory in injury time.

What happened in the Columbus Crew vs Inter Miami match

According to Sportstar's match report published on 28 September 2026, Josef Martínez opened the scoring for the home side from the penalty spot. Messi equalised with a curling free-kick — his 21st goal of the regular season — and nearly put Miami ahead in the 62nd minute, but Columbus goalkeeper Patrick Schulte tipped his shot over the bar.

Substitute David Ayala had a goal ruled out for offside, and the match was decided deep in injury time. Miami goalkeeper Rocco Ríos Novo failed to hold a shot from Brais Méndez, and Senegalese substitute Jamal Thiaré converted the rebound to seal the win for Columbus.

What the result means for the MLS standings

The defeat left Inter Miami trailing Eastern Conference leaders Nashville by 14 points with seven regular-season games remaining, per the Sportstar report. That gap makes Miami's push for top spot in the conference a steep task heading into the season's final stretch.

Columbus Crew, one of MLS's 10 charter clubs founded in 1994, are among the league's most decorated sides, with MLS Cup titles in 2008, 2020 and 2023, per the club's history.

Why the match trended in India

India's search interest was driven overwhelmingly by Messi. Google Trends India showed the fixture among trending terms in the past 24 hours as of 28 September 2026, with related queries including "lionel messi", "josef martínez", "columbus crew vs inter miami lineups" and "columbus crew vs inter miami standings". Note that Google Trends measures search interest, not verified news, and its search counts are approximate.

Player ratings snapshot

Sportstar's ratings gave Messi 7.8 — Inter Miami's joint-highest — while Columbus winger Zaroury led all players at 8.0. Miami goalkeeper Novo received the lowest mark of the match at 5.0 after the late decisive error.