Jamal Thiaré's 98th-Minute Winner Stuns Messi and Inter Miami as Columbus Crew Win 2-1

Lionel Messi had already produced the free kick that would loop on every highlight show in America. Jamal Thiaré made sure it would not be the last word.

Thiaré, an 83rd-minute substitute, smashed home a loose ball in the eighth minute of stoppage time, and the Columbus Crew beat Inter Miami CF 2-1 on Sunday night at ScottsMiracle-Gro Field, in front of what MLS called a record crowd of 21,188. Josef Martínez opened the scoring from the penalty spot, Messi answered five minutes later, and Columbus spent most of the next hour hammering on a door that finally gave way in the 98th minute.

Crossbars, a Penalty and a Masterpiece

Columbus came out flying. In the 10th minute, Anass Zaroury met a Mohamed Farsi cross from the left side of the box and rattled the crossbar, the first of three times he would hit the frame on the night. The breakthrough eventually came via the monitor. Martínez went down under a challenge from Yannick Bright in the 23rd minute, VAR confirmed the penalty, Casemiro was booked in the 27th, and a minute later Martínez sent a right-footed shot into the bottom left corner. Per the Crew, it was his first MLS goal for the club.

Miami needed five minutes to respond. Santiago Rodríguez fouled Gonzalo Luján out on the right wing in the 33rd minute, Messi stood over the ball, and his left foot bent it into the top left corner. MLS ranked it among the best goals he has scored for Miami.

Miami lost Bright to an injury in the 40th minute, with David Ayala replacing him, and Brais Méndez forced Rocco Ríos Novo into a save just before the break.

The second half belonged mostly to the hosts. Méndez tested Ríos Novo again in the 52nd minute, Messi missed narrowly to the left a minute later, and in the 55th Zaroury hit the bar again, this time from long range. Miami had its best spell around the hour: Patrick Schulte saved from Rodrigo De Paul in the 59th and from Messi in the 62nd, and Casemiro headed a Messi corner just over in the 63rd.

Then the temperature rose. Micael, Méndez, Eric Bailly, Dániel Pintér and substitute Sékou Bangoura were all booked between the 67th and 83rd minutes, and interim head coach Laurent Courtois sent on Thiaré and Andrés Herrera in the 83rd. Zaroury's third date with the woodwork came in the 89th, a shot from outside the box off the right post, and Herrera's effort from distance after the ensuing corner missed narrowly.

Nine minutes of stoppage time followed, and Miami did not finish with 11. Luján was booked in the 92nd minute, and substitute Santiago Morales collected two yellow cards in the span of three minutes, the second in the 96th. Two minutes later, Ríos Novo saved a Méndez strike, Thiaré was first to the rebound in the middle of the box, and he smashed it high into the net. He was booked for the celebration. Worth it.

Méndez Built It, Thiaré Finished It

Méndez did not score, but nobody in yellow did more to make the winner happen. He put all four of his shots on target, which means every one of Ríos Novo's four saves came from his boot, and the last of them became Thiaré's goal. Courtois also credited Méndez for helping Martínez feel comfortable taking the penalty.

Zaroury, meanwhile, will be seeing woodwork in his sleep. Four shots, three off the woodwork, zero goals. On a luckier night he is the headline. Rodríguez drew six fouls, more than anyone else on the field.

Thiaré needed one shot. Per the club, it was the second time he has scored in a pivotal match this season, after the Hell is Real derby against FC Cincinnati in July.

"I want to just help my team," Thiaré said on Apple TV. "I want to bring some energy because we work really hard during the week, so we know what we can do on Saturday or Sunday."

For Miami, Messi was the threat in every phase: three shots, two on target, the goal, and the corner that found Casemiro's head. It was not enough on a night his side managed just five shots in total.

Ten Minutes That Flipped the Night

The turning point was not Thiaré's finish so much as the sequence that set it up. Morales came on in the 86th minute with Miami holding a road point it could live with. Ten minutes later he was gone, and Columbus, which had already been pumping crosses into the box all night, suddenly had an extra body to find. The Crew needed exactly two minutes to cash in.

Courtois liked the composure. "Really credit to the guys to keep their head on the shoulders and not lose it," he said.

The Numbers Behind the Comeback

• Shots: Columbus 14, Miami 5. On target: Columbus 6, Miami 3.
• Possession: Miami 56.2 percent, Columbus 43.8 percent.
• Corners: Columbus 9, Miami 1.
• Crosses: Columbus attempted 24 to Miami's 5, though only three found a teammate.
• Cards: Five yellows apiece, plus Morales's red.

A Playoff Pulse in Columbus

Columbus improved to 8-5-14 with 29 points and won back-to-back league matches for just the second time this season, according to MLS, following its 2-0 win at CF Montréal on Sept. 19. The club noted the Crew sit four points back of the Eastern Conference play-in spot with eight matches remaining. They now head into an international break before visiting Orlando City SC on Oct. 10, and they will host St. Louis CITY SC in the U.S. Open Cup final on Oct. 21.

"We know what we're capable of, but it's just putting it together piece by piece, and we were able to do that tonight," Schulte said.

Inter Miami fell to 12-10-5 with 46 points. The loss came on the heels of four straight league draws, which leaves Miami winless in five. The sides had drawn 2-2 in Miami on Aug. 1, so Columbus takes the bragging rights from this season's meetings.

The Post-Credits Scene

Messi supplied the blockbuster moment. Thiaré wrote the post-credits scene, and any Marvel fan knows that is the one that sets up the sequel. For a Columbus team that has spent the season digging out of a hole, the timing could not be better.

"Now we can reassess a few things," Courtois said. "And of course, I believe that's going to give the guys confidence."

Stats from ESPN's match data. Postgame quotes and match notes as reported by the Columbus Crew (columbuscrew.com) and MLSsoccer.com.