Lionel Messi had a moment to forget during Inter Miami's 3-0 defeat against Wilfried Zaha's Charlotte FC on Sunday, after attempting - and missing - an audacious Panenka from the penalty spot.
With the score locked at 0-0, the Argentine stepped up to take the penalty and attempted the cheeky chip straight down the middle.
But Charlotte keeper Kristijan Kahlina had read it perfectly. He stood his ground and stretched out a hand to deny the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner.
It was Messi's first penalty miss since Argentina faced Poland at the 2022 World Cup.
Lionel Messi had a moment to forget during Inter Miami's 3-0 defeat against Wilfried Zaha's Charlotte FC on Sunday, attempting, and missing, an audacious Panenka from the penalty spot
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The save proved to be a turning point. Just two minutes later, Charlotte raced down the pitch and Kerwin Vargas delivered a low cross for Idan Toklomati to slot past Oscar Ustari.
It was the perfect response from Charlotte, who their incredible eight-game winning streak coming into the match.
The atmosphere in the Bank of America Stadium was electric, and nobody was enjoying it more than former Aston Villa boss Dean Smith.
Dean Smith was seen celebrating with the Poznan in the the Bank of America Stadium after his side's 3-0 triumph
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The ex-Premier League manager was serving a touchline ban after picking up three yellow cards, but that didn't stop him joining in with the pre-match festivities.
When Charlotte fans started doing the Poznan - that famous celebration where supporters turn their backs to the pitch and jump with their arms around each other - Smith couldn't help himself.
He got technical director Tommy Wilson and owner David Tepper involved, and the trio were shown on the stadium's giant screens bouncing away in the owner's suite.
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The 54-year-old had even more reasons to celebrate as the match wore on. Toklomati grabbed his second goal just after half-time, finishing from close range in the 47th minute.
Things went from bad to worse for Miami when defender Tomas Aviles picked up a second yellow card in the 79th minute. Five minutes later, Toklomati completed his hat-trick from the penalty spot after Zaha was fouled.
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No luck on the panenka.
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) September 14, 2025
Kristijan Kahlina stands his ground! 😳
📺 #MLSSeasonPass: https://t.co/Hk7vdrFPCI pic.twitter.com/ltzmUpAPEn
Miami were already missing suspended striker Luis Suarez, who's serving a three-game ban for spitting at a member of Seattle Sounder's security team.
The victory marked Charlotte's ninth straight league win, matching the MLS record set by Seattle in 2018. It's put them firmly in third place in the Eastern Conference with 53 points from 30 games.
For Miami, it's a different story. They've dropped to eighth place with 46 points, though they do have four games in hand.
Manager Javier Mascherano admitted he was worried about the result, especially with another tough match against Seattle coming up on Tuesday.
The former Liverpool and Barcelona midfielder was quick to deflect any blame away from his star man, however.
"I think if there's one thing we can't do is be unfair about, blame, or cling to the penalty," the Miami boss said. "It's a game situation. Clearly, if there's anyone who's helped us win all season, it's been Leo."