Jamal Thiare’s 90th-minute goal leaves Columbus Crew on 29 points

Jamal Thiare scored in the 90th minute as Columbus Crew beat Inter Miami 2-1 in Major League Soccer at ScottsMiracle-Gro Field on Sunday. Columbus moved from 26 points before kick-off to 29 after 27 games, while Inter Miami stayed on 46 points; the gap between them is now 17 points.

Thiare settles the reconciled score sequence

Josef Martínez gave Columbus a 1-0 lead with a penalty in the 28th minute, and Lionel Messi restored parity for Inter Miami in the 33rd. Thiare, on the field for 7 minutes, then supplied the decisive goal in the 90th minute. Messi recorded a match rating of 8.2 after 90 minutes, while Thiare led Columbus’s ratings at 7.4.

Columbus produced more attempts with less possession

Inter Miami had 56% possession and completed 464 accurate passes from 523 total, compared with Columbus’s 344 accurate passes from 390. Columbus registered 14 total shots to Miami’s 5, including 6 shots on goal to 3, and won 9 corner kicks to Miami’s 1. Those figures show Columbus created the greater volume of attempts despite having less of the ball. Inter Miami also received 1 red card, while both teams recorded 5 yellow cards.

After the result, Nashville SC remained provisionally top of the Eastern Conference on 60 points. Columbus trail the leader by 31 points, while Inter Miami are 14 points behind; positions after this result depend on tie-breakers and other results from the round.