Inter Miami snatch late Columbus Crew tie to keep MLS playoff hopes alive before Messi joins
Inter Miami clinched a late draw with Columbus Crew thanks to a stunning 90th minute acrobatic goal from Josef Martinez to keep small playoff hopes alive before Lionel Messi arrives
- Inter Miami fell behind twice but fought back to take a crucial point in the MLS
- It’s still all to do to make the playoffs, but there are signs of improvement
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Josef Martinez kept Inter Miami and Lionel Messi’s meager hopes of keeping the MLS playoffs alive with a 90th-minute acrobatic kick to pick up a point against Columbus Crew.
Miami fought back from behind twice on Wednesday-evening to share the points and it is now two games in a row that the team is tied.
They need wins, and urgently, if Messi and Co are to reach the play-offs. But after two draws in a row, the team is slowly turning the corner.
Darlington Nagbe scored the Crew’s opener with a side volley from the edge of the box in the first half after Miami headed a corner kick.
Five minutes into the second half and Miami tied the score, Leo Campana fired in a header that goalkeeper Patrick Schulte couldn’t hit firmly enough.
Josef Martinez’s late goal gave Inter Miami a crucial 2-2 draw against Columbus Crew
Miami came from behind against Columbus Crew twice – Leo Campana scored their first goal
Miami were tied for 12 minutes before Crew retook the lead and it was a terrible way to concede.
The entire defense line fell asleep as Alexandru Matan hurried through midfield and rolled the ball into the feet of Cucho Hernandez, who instinctively hit the ball from outside wide across the six-yard area.
No one on the Miami defense expected the cross, so Christian Ramirez was all alone to poke the ball in.
But just when it felt like Miami were facing their eighth MLS loss in nine games, Martinez stepped in.
Goalscorer and fellow striker Campana made a smart run-up to the penalty area, collecting possession and turning before tapping the ball to Martinez.
From there, the Venezuela attacker leapt into the air and unleashed a powerful bicycle kick into the roof of the net.
It still leaves Miami last in the MLS Eastern Conference, but the struggle the team showed to stay in the game will be a great source of encouragement for Tata Martino, who watched from the stands as he waits for the approval of his visa.
The team is nine points behind Montreal, the team occupying the last play-in spot for the post-season tournament.