Nashville and Inter Miami played to a goalless draw for the first time since Lionel Messi's arrival

For the first time since Messi joined Inter Miami in July, Messi and Inter Miami dropped points.

Nashville, like in the League Cup Final, performed well to hold Leo Messi and Miami at bay.

Tennessee's visitors sat in a low block in their half, hoping to attack Miami on the break and startle the home fans.

Inter Miami were held to a 0-0 draw against Nashville ❌

They're still unbeaten in the 10 games since Leo Messi arrived. They lost 14 games in 2023 before he landed in Miami 😵#InterMiamiCF #Messi #MLS pic.twitter.com/10gLgmEBp4
— 12thkhiladi Football (@12k_football) August 31, 2023

The first half was unremarkable, but the intrigue began after the interval when Nashville seemed to take the lead on the break via Hany Mukhtar, but the German was marginally offside in the buildup, resulting in the score remaining unchanged.

Inter Miami need to close a 10-point gap

While Messi urged his team to find a victory in the final minutes, the tenacious Nashville defence had other ideas for the surging Herons.

If they fail to find a winner and take all three points, Miami will need to close a 10-point gap on ninth place in their last ten MLS games to make the playoffs.