Nashville SC draws Inter Miami 1-1 to advance on away goals in CONCACAF Champions Cup

Nashville advances as Espinoza’s second-half goal overturns Miami’s early lead

Nashville SC eliminated Inter Miami from the 2026 CONCACAF Champions Cup on Wednesday, March 18, advancing on the away-goals tiebreaker after a 1-1 draw at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The two-leg Round of 16 series ended 1-1 on aggregate following a 0-0 first-leg draw on March 11 at GEODIS Park in Nashville, leaving Nashville through because its goal came on the road while Miami did not score in Tennessee.

Inter Miami took the lead in the seventh minute when Lionel Messi scored, assisted by Sergio Reguilón. The goal was widely noted as the 900th of Messi’s club-and-country career. Miami’s advantage, however, was erased in the 74th minute when Nashville’s Cristian Espinoza scored, a strike that proved decisive given the tie’s aggregate balance and tiebreaking criteria.

Key match moments and lineup notes

• 7’ — Inter Miami goal: Lionel Messi, assisted by Sergio Reguilón.
• 40’ — Substitution: Noah Allen replaced Sergio Reguilón.
• 74’ — Nashville goal: Cristian Espinoza.
• 78’ — Substitution: Luis Suárez entered for Inter Miami.

The second leg remained level beyond the hour mark, with Nashville’s equalizer arriving after a sequence of attacking set pieces and sustained pressure in the second half. Once Nashville scored, Inter Miami needed another goal to avoid elimination; the match ended without a winner on the night, sending Nashville through without extra time because the away-goals tiebreaker separated the teams.

How the series was decided

CONCACAF Champions Cup knockout rounds are played as home-and-away series decided by aggregate score. When teams finish level on aggregate, the competition applies away goals as a tiebreaker. With the first leg ending scoreless in Nashville, any scoring draw in the second leg would advantage Nashville if Miami failed to score away. Nashville’s 74th-minute goal created exactly that scenario: 1-1 on aggregate, with Nashville holding a 1-0 edge in away goals.

What it means next

The result ends Inter Miami’s run in the region’s top club competition despite an early lead in the second leg, while Nashville advances to the quarterfinals. The elimination also extends a growing competitive thread between the clubs, who have met repeatedly across league and cup play in recent seasons, including prior CONCACAF Champions Cup encounters.

Final: Inter Miami 1, Nashville SC 1 — Nashville advances on away goals after a 1-1 aggregate draw.