Messi's penalty miss: how often does that happen?

The miss

Messi, whose record from the spot across his career sits among the best in football history, had his penalty kick saved as Nashville SC produced what The Athletic described as a dominant display to beat Inter Miami. The detail of who made the save and the final scoreline have not been confirmed in the available reporting, but the result itself is not in doubt: Nashville won, and Messi's spot-kick did not go in.

For context, this is genuinely unusual. Messi has converted penalties at an elite rate throughout his career at Barcelona, PSG, Argentina and now Inter Miami. Goalkeepers do occasionally guess right, but not often enough to make this feel routine.

What it means for the Eastern Conference

Nashville were already top of the MLS Eastern Conference going into this fixture. The win extends that lead further, according to The Athletic, which makes the result more than a footnote in a global icon's stats column. Inter Miami, with Messi in the side, are the team most capable of running Nashville close, which is precisely why Friday's result stings.

Nashville's performance was described as dominant, suggesting this was not a narrow escape or a smash-and-grab. They outplayed the most-watched club in American football and came away with the points. That is a statement result in the context of the Eastern Conference race.

Eastern Conference title race

Nashville's lead at the top of the Eastern Conference is starting to look serious, and they built it by beating the one side expected to test them. Inter Miami now need to find a response, and quickly, if they want to keep the conference title in reach.