Messi’s Inter Miami claim their first 2026 victory over Atletico Nacional with dramatic last-minute own goal

We’ve reached the end of our live blog for the thrilling match between Atletico Nacional and Inter Miami. Thank you for following along, and see you next time!

Inter Miami defeat Atletico Nacional of Medellin 2-1.

Rivero got on the end of a move by Morales and scored an own goal.

Morelos was booked.

The young forward fired, but his shot was saved by the goalkeeper.

Javier Mascherano made three more substitutions in addition to Messi leaving: David Ruiz replaced Rodrigo De Paul, Micael came on for Noah Allen, and Gonzalo Lujan replaced Maximiliano Falcon.

The Argentine forward was replaced by Santiago Morales.

Silvetti fired from outside the box, and after deflecting off an opposing defender, the ball went just over the bar.

De Paul passed to Berterame, who set up the Argentine forward for a shot that just went wide.

Bello fires a shot, Morelos redirects it into the net, but the assistant referee flags for offside.

Rodrigo De Paul was booked.

Yannick Bright and German Berterame come on for David Ayala and Luis Suarez.

Lionel Messi fired from outside the box, the ball hit the post, and Luis Suarez capitalized on the rebound to level the score.

The Herons now control the ball, but they can’t find space to create scoring opportunities.

The Colombian side switched nine of the eleven players for the second half.

Atletico Nacional lead Inter Miami 1-0.

Atletico Nacional lead Inter Miami 1-0 thanks to Juan Manuel Rengifo’s goal.

After a mistake by Mura, Cardona took the ball and fired a shot off target.

De Paul passed to Messi, who carried the ball a long distance and fired a shot, forcing a brilliant save from Ospina.

The Argentine forward fired from outside the box, but Ospina managed to stop it.

Juan Manuel Rengifo received the ball outside the box, controlled it, and with his left foot placed it by the post.

The Inter Miami forward took a free kick that Ospina pushed out for a corner.

The Colombian midfielder fired from outside the box, and Inter Miami goalkeeper St. Clair comfortably held the ball.

Rengifo fired a shot that forced a save from Dayne St. Clair.

The Argentine forward was fouled by Sarmiento.

Messi set up Suarez, who was unable to control the ball inside the box when he was one-on-one with goalkeeper David Ospina.

This time, Zapata tried his luck with a long-range shot that sailed over the crossbar.

Atletico Nacional came close with a header from Asprilla after a cross from Casco.

Atletico Nacional and Inter Miami are now playing in Medellin.

Head coach Javier Mascherano faced significant limitations in his options for Saturday’s match against Atletico Nacional. Many players in the squad are still unavailable for various reasons.

Center back Micael, who joined from Brazil this year, as well as Tadeo Allende, who finalized his permanent move from Celta Vigo, have been unable to train with their teammates due to administrative issues. Meanwhile, Sergio Reguilon suffered a knee injury in the match against Alianza Lima and will be sidelined for several weeks.

These are the XI selected by head coach Javier Mascherano to face Atletico Nacional: Dayne St. Clair; Ian Fray, Maximiliano Falcon, Noah Allen, Facundo Mura; Rodrigo de Paul, David Ayala, Telasco Segovia; Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, Mateo Silvetti.

Saturday’s match against Atletico Nacional is Inter Miami’s second game of the year. The preseason tour began last weekend in Peru, with a 3-0 loss to Alianza Lima.

The Herons’ schedule continues after the trip to Colombia with another match in South America: next Saturday, February 7, they will face Barcelona of Guayaquil in Ecuador. Their final friendly will take place on Friday, February 13, against Independiente del Valle in Puerto Rico.

Head coach Diego Arias chose this XI to play against Inter Miami: David Ospina; Milton Casco, William Tesillo, Andres Roman, Simon Garcia; Juan Zapata, Andres Sarmiento, Edwin Cardona; Juan Rengifo, Marlos Moreno, Dairon Asprilla.

Atanasio Girardot Stadium has been the home of Atletico Nacional of Medellin since it opened in 1953, with renovations and expansions in 1990 and 2011. It has a capacity of 45,000 spectators and has hosted major events, including Copa Libertadores and Copa Sudamericana finals, as well as concerts by Madonna, Guns N’ Roses, and many others.

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Welcome to our live blog for this Saturday’s preseason friendly between Atletico Nacional and Inter Miami. Stay with us for pregame coverage and, once the opening whistle blows, all the minute-by-minute updates.