Jamal Thiare, take a bow. The thunderous crescendo of the Columbus Crew substitute’s 99th-minute winner against the reigning MLS Cup champions, captained by arguably the greatest footballer of all time, blew the roof off Scotts Miracle-Gro Field and secured a famous Black & Gold victory over Major League Soccer’s villains on Sunday night.

The first half saw Josef Martinez open the scoring from the penalty spot, before a Lionel Messi free kick leveled the score. Thiare’s winner deep into injury time earned all three points for the Black & Gold and sees them move from 14th to 12th place in the Eastern Conference, while Inter Miami remains in 3rd. The Crew reaches three consecutive wins in all competitions for the first time since April 2026

Anass Zaroury nearly gave the Black & Gold an early lead in the 9th minute. Upon receiving the ball at the left corner of the 18-yard box from Mohamed Farsi, Zaroury curled a right-footed shot toward the top right corner of the goal, but his strike was denied at the intersection of the crossbar and the right post.

The Crew pushed forward moments later, as Brais Mendez broke through on the right flank in the 14th minute. He directed a right-footed cross into the penalty area, looming toward Martinez, but Rocco Rios-Novo came out and claimed the ball first.

In the 28th minute, Martinez fired the Crew ahead from the penalty spot. He struck a low, driven shot into the bottom left corner; Rios-Novo dove to the correct side but couldn’t get there in time. The penalty had been awarded after VAR review confirmed that Martinez was unlawfully brought down by Yannick Bright in the 18-yard box while contesting the previous corner kick.

Lionel Messi knocked the wind out of the Crew in the 33rd minute with a stunning free kick. The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner aimed fire from the right flank at a tight angle, 10 yards from the 18-yard box. His trademark left-inswinging shot soared over Patrick Schulte and into the top left corner of the net.

In the second half, Messi came close to adding a second. In the 53rd minute, he received a lobbed pass in the penalty area, took it in his stride, and struck a half-volley into the left side-netting.

A remarkable long-range strike in the 55th minute nearly put Zaroury in contention for Goal of the Season. Receiving the ball on the left flank about 30 yards out, Zaroury unleashed a swerving strike that ricocheted off the crossbar and bounced on the goal line, but it never fully crossed the line.

Patrick Schulte was called to action in the 62nd minute to save another attempt on goal by Messi. The Argentine forward received the ball 30 yards out and drove forward. Upon reaching the 18-yard box, he toed along its edge, weaving around Crew defenders with the ball glued to the outside of his left foot. He shot toward the upper middle of the net, forcing Schulte to react; the Black & Gold shotstopper quickly pushed the ball up and out for a corner.

In the 89th minute, Zaroury fired another strike from distance, this one a low, right-footed shot that struck the right post.

Six minutes into injury time, Inter Miami went down to 10 men. Santiago Morales, after entering as an 86th-minute substitute, received a second yellow card just two minutes after his first and was sent off for delaying the restart.

With just moments to spare, nine minutes into injury time, Thiare clutched the win. Mendez attempted a shot from outside the box that, from the looks of it, should have been a simple catch for Rios-Novo, but the keeper spilled the ball into the penalty area. Thiare pounced on the opportunity, smashing the ball into the roof of the net to seal a Crew win.

Although not on the scoresheet, new signing Zaroury was a standout in the match. He struck the woodwork three times, completed 87% of his attempted passes, and recorded eight recoveries. While Max Arfsten left big shoes to fill following his move to Middlesbrough, Zaroury has quickly slotted into the left wingback role.

Up next, the Black & Gold take on Orlando City away from home on Saturday, October 10th at 7:30 p.m. ET. The match will be available to stream on Apple TV.