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Messi records third straight penalty miss in Inter Miami defeat
16th August, 2026 04:33 PM
Lionel Messi endured a frustrating and emotional night as Inter Miami CF suffered a heavy 4-1 defeat against Nashville SC on Saturday, August 15, 2026.
Returning to the starting lineup following a personal period of grieving after the passing of his father, Jorge, the Argentine maestro faced a rude awakening on the pitch. Nashville seized early momentum in the sixteenth minute when Andy Najar headed home a precise cross from Elias Saad, putting Inter Miami on the back foot almost immediately.
With his side trailing early, Messi was presented with a glorious opportunity to bring Inter Miami level in the twenty-third minute after the referee awarded a penalty for a foul inside the box.
Disallowed
However, the World Cup winner fluffed his lines from the spot as Nashville goalkeeper Brian Schwake guessed correctly and parried the shot away. Left-back Sergio Reguilón reacted quickest to convert the rebound into the net, but the goal was promptly ruled out following a review due to player encroachment into the penalty area before the kick was taken.
The spot-kick failure marked Messi’s third consecutive penalty miss across all competitions for club and country. His recent struggles from twelve yards mirror a surprising trend that began during the 2026 FIFA World Cup, where he missed penalties against both Austria in the group stage and Egypt during the knockout rounds.
Despite his miss against Egypt, Argentina managed to secure a controversial victory to advance, but his luck ran out against a resolute Nashville side on Saturday night.
Messi’s missed penalty was part of an overall dismal evening for the legendary forward, who managed eleven total shots without finding the back of the net. He hit the post twice during open play and had a second-half goal ruled out for offside, underscoring a rare night where nothing seemed to go his way.
Although he assisted Telasco Segovia shortly before halftime to briefly bring Miami level at 1-1, Nashville took complete control after the break, scoring three unanswered goals through a Hany Mukhtar brace and a clever Sam Surridge finish to shatter Miami’s seven-match unbeaten run.
Messi’s penalty struggles
The recent dry spell from the spot highlights Messi’s ongoing penalty difficulties, particularly on the international stage.
At the 2026 World Cup, Messi became the first player in the tournament’s history to miss two non-shootout penalties in a single edition.
Over his World Cup career, he holds the record for both the most penalties taken with eight and the most missed with four, leaving him with a fifty percent conversion rate at the global showpiece.
36 missed penalties
Across his entire senior professional career for both club and country, excluding standard post-extra-time shootouts, Messi’s total penalty record now stands at thirty-six missed spot-kicks.
Breaking down his career tenure across different teams, twenty-five of those misses occurred while wearing the jersey of FC Barcelona, seven were recorded with the Argentine national team, three have come during his time with Inter Miami CF, and a single miss occurred during his two-year stint at Paris Saint-Germain. Despite these rare execution flaws from twelve yards, the veteran remains the central figure and primary playmaker for both his MLS club and national team.
