Messi scores, but Nashville strikes late to deny Miami win

Lionel Messi scored a second-half goal, but Nashville SC struck back in stoppage time to earn a 2-2 draw at Inter Miami and maintain its nine-point lead at the top of the Eastern Conference.

Messi looked to have given Miami the win when he exchanged passes with longtime Argentina teammate Rodrigo De Paul before picking out the side of the net with a precise left-footed finish from 20 yards out in the 62nd minute.

Twice Messi came close to extending Miami's lead and scoring what would have been his 100th for the MLS club in all competitions. But he was denied first by a Brian Schwake save onto the post and then by a last-ditch headed clearance by Nashville defender Jeisson Palacios.

Miami was then hit by a sucker punch in the first minute of added time when Sam Surridge fired Nashville level. Surridge had earlier put Nashville in front after just four minutes in South Florida.

Miami has now dropped 11 points from winning positions at home in MLS this season, second behind New York City FC and CF Montréal.

"Obviously, there's frustration -- feeling like we were the better side only to have the three points snatched away in the final moments," Miami defender Facundo Mura said. "But there's also the feeling that the team did manage to keep possession and create scoring chances. 

"We need to improve so that we don't always have to score so many goals just to get the win; we need to feel a bit more secure at the back and stop conceding, so that the goals we do score are enough."

Saturday's dropped points could prove particularly costly, leaving Miami trailing Nashville by nine points in the battle for both the Eastern Conference's No. 1 seed and the Supporters' Shield with nine games remaining. 

Nashville, which joined MLS as an expansion team alongside Miami in 2020, is now in prime position to claim its first Supporters' Shield.

Miami, which is still waiting for Cristian "Kily" González to formally take over as coach, has won just once in its past nine games in all competitions.

The team, and Messi, had plenty of chances to add to that win total Saturday.

Messi had a big hand in bringing Miami level in the 19th minute, when his in-swinging corner forced an own goal after it deflected into the net off the head of Nashville defender Reed Baker-Whiting.

Messi then had a shot blocked from outside the box in the 27th minute and sent a free kick wide shortly afterward before breaking through in the second half with his MLS-leading 19th goal of the season.

But the 39-year-old couldn't add to that total as he hit the crossbar as well as the post in the second half. Even after Nashville leveled in added time, De Paul was inches away from giving Miami the win when his shot hit the outside of the post.

Nashville is now unbeaten in four matches against Miami this season. In addition to winning 4-1 in the teams' previous MLS meeting on Aug. 15, Nashville also eliminated Miami from the Concacaf Champions Cup earlier this season.

After having also been eliminated from the Leagues Cup this summer, Miami will attempt to win its first trophy of the season when it takes on Cruz Azul on Wednesday in a battle between the reigning champions of MLS and Liga MX for the Campeones Cup.

"We have great players, and we have to compete for every trophy we play for," Mura added. "Unfortunately, things haven't gone our way in the Concacaf Champions Cup or the Leagues Cup. We haven't gotten the results we wanted; we're well aware of that. But ultimately, we're here to keep working and keep growing.

"We're starting a new phase with a new coach, and we all know we need to give more to help the team improve and reach a higher level -- especially since we have a final coming up in just four days that we really want to win."

ESPN's Lizzy Becherano, ESPN Research and The Associated Press contributed to this report.