FC Cincinnati Ends Messi’s Unbeaten Run, Thrash Inter Miami 3-0

FC Cincinnati brought an end to Lionel Messi’s impressive unbeaten streak with Inter Miami, securing a dominant 3-0 win in the 2025 Major League Soccer (MLS) fixture at TQL Stadium on Wednesday (July 16).

The home side struck early, opening the scoring in the 16th minute through Gerardo Valenzuela, who capitalized on a defensive error by Miami. Cincinnati maintained control in the second half, adding two more goals courtesy of Evander da Silva Ferreira in the 50th and 70th minutes to seal the emphatic result.

Lionel Messi, who played the full 90 minutes, recorded five shots on target — the most by any Inter Miami player — but was unable to prevent his team from suffering their first loss of the season. Prior to this match, Inter Miami had gone 11 games unbeaten across all competitions (source: Opta, MLS official match report).

The defeat also exposed vulnerabilities in Inter Miami’s defense, marking the first time they have conceded three unanswered goals since Messi’s arrival in mid-2023. On the other hand, the result represents FC Cincinnati’s best performance of the season so far, reinforcing their position near the top of the Eastern Conference standings.