Sports
Messi Bags 900th Career Goal As Inter Miami Crash Out Of CONCACAF Champions Cup
Argentine superstar Lionel Messi bagged the 900th goal of his glittering career on Wednesday but could not prevent Inter Miami from crashing out of the CONCACAF Champions Cup on away goals after a 1-1 draw with Nashville.
Messi, 38, scored his milestone goal after just seven minutes to put Miami 1-0 up in the second leg of their last-16 clash in the regional club competition.
But Nashville’s Cristian Espinoza lashed in a 74th-minute equalizer to make it 1-1 on aggregate, and after holding Miami at bay for the remainder of the game, the visitors from Tennessee advanced to the quarter-finals on the away goals rule.
Players of Nashville SC celebrate and advance to the next round of the CONCACAF Champions Cup 2026 after the CONCACAF Champions Cup Round of 16 Second Leg match between Inter Miami CF and Nashville SC at Chase Stadium on March 18, 2026, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Leonardo Fernandez
Miami’s exit was a bittersweet ending to what had promised to be a night of celebration after Messi’s early opener in what was the club’s final game at their Chase Stadium home in Fort Lauderdale.
Messi’s strike took the Argentine’s tally to 81 goals for the MLS champions following his move to Florida in 2023.
The eight-time Ballon D’Or winner previously scored 672 goals for Spanish giants Barcelona, 32 for France’s Paris Saint-Germain, and a further 115 international goals for Argentina.
Goal number 900 came some 21 years after Messi’s first goal in senior football, when he scored for Barcelona in a 2-0 win over Albacete in 2005 as a fresh-faced 17-year-old.
Messi, widely regarded as the greatest player in football history, still has some way to go before he catches his great rival Cristiano Ronaldo, the 41-year-old Portuguese superstar who is on 965 career goals.
Speaking ahead of Messi’s 900th goal, Miami manager and former Argentina and Barcelona team-mate Javier Mascherano described the star’s goals total as “insane.”
“I’ve been lucky enough to see most, or many, of the goals he’s scored, much closer than you all, and that’s a privilege,” Mascherano said.
Lionel Messi, #10 of Inter Miami CF puts the ball on the pitch during the CONCACAF Champions Cup Round of 16 Second Leg match between Inter Miami CF and Nashville SC at Chase Stadium on March 18, 2026 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Leonardo Fernandez
Wednesday’s match carried added significance for Inter Miami, marking a farewell to the team’s Chase Stadium.
The venue has served as Inter Miami’s home since the club entered Major League Soccer in 2020. The team will move into a new purpose-built 26,700-seat facility next month.
Messi is strongly expected to play in his sixth World Cup later this year, when Argentina defend their title in the 48-team tournament being staged in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
The Argentine star has already extended his Inter Miami contract through to the end of the 2028 season.
Messi’s prolific goalscoring has been a hallmark of his career. His 672 goals for Barcelona came in just 778 games — an average of 0.86 per game — helping the Catalan club win 35 trophies before departure to Paris Saint-Germain in 2021.
In France, he scored 32 goals in 75 matches, winning three trophies including two league titles.
In Miami, his 81 goals have come in just 96 appearances, helping the team win the 2023 Leagues Cup and the 2025 MLS Cup.
His 115 international goals have come in 196 matches, including two in the 2022 World Cup final victory over France.
Messi’s goals tally leaves him second only to Ronaldo according to most recognised statistical records.
Brazilian legend Pele is often said to have scored more than 1,000 goals but those numbers have been the subject to debate. Most statisticians put Pele’s total for Brazil, Santos and New York Cosmos at 762.
AFP
Paris Saint-Germain and Atletico Madrid have qualified for the semi-finals of the Champions League.
This follows the completion of the quarter-final second legs on Tuesday.
In the first game, PSG travelled to Liverpool with a 2-0 advantage from the first leg.
Although there were no goals in the first half, Ousmane Dembele netted twice after the break as the holders progressed into the final four.
At the Wanda Metropolitano, Atletico qualified for the semi-final despite losing 2-1.
Diego Simeone’s men had won 2-0 at the Nou Camp and at home, Ademola Lookman’s goal proved crucial after Lamine Yamal and Ferran Torres levelled the tie on aggregate/
PSG will face the winner of Bayern Munich vs Real Madrid, while Atletico Madrid await the winner of Arsenal vs Sporting.
Midfielder Enzo Fernández is set to return to the Chelsea FC squad this week after resolving internal issues with the club.
According to manager Liam Rosenior, the Argentine international has held discussions with the coaching staff, the leadership group, and his teammates following a recent incident that led to his absence.
“Enzo has spoken with me, the leadership group and all of the players, and so now we look forward to welcoming him back,” Rosenior said.
He added that Fernández personally requested the meetings as part of efforts to address the situation and move forward with the team.
“He wanted to have a conversation with the leadership group, and he wanted to speak to the players,” the manager explained.
Senior officials at Arsenal have reportedly identified Como head coach and former club captain, Cesc Fabregas, as the ideal candidate to replace Mikel Arteta, amid growing uncertainty over the Spaniard’s future at the Emirates.
According to reports by Mundo Deportivo, Arteta could be in his final days as Arsenal manager if the club’s season ends without major silverware.
The Gunners began 2026 on a great note and in the running for four trophies.
But Arsenal were beaten 2-1 by Manchester City in the Carabao Cup final and lost to Southampton in the FA Cup quarter-final.
Arteta’s men had the chance to extend their lead at the top of the Premier League to 12 points on Saturday, but ended up losing 2-1 to Bournemouth at home.
The result saw a lot of supporters walk out of the stadium before the full-time whistle, as the fanbase becomes apprehensive of the team bottling the title again.
The poor run of form is also being discussed in the boardroom and the hierarchy believes there might be need to change the manager if the team fails to win any silverware.
Former Arsenal captain, Fabregas, who is leading Como’s charge to qualify for Europe, is a heavy favourite for the role if Arteta leaves.
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