On August 1, Casemiro endured a forgettable matchday with 2 mistakes that caused Inter Miami to be held to a 2-2 draw by Columbus Crew in round 18 of the MLS Eastern Conference.
In the 34th minute at NU Stadium, Casemiro misplaced a pass from his own half. Columbus Crew mounted a counterattack, and from the opponent’s cross, Casemiro scored an own goal. Immediately after the sequence, television cameras caught a close-up of Lionel Messi’s stunned face on the substitute bench. The Argentine superstar pursed his lips tightly and appeared disappointed with the conceded goal.
Casemiro’s tragedy did not stop there. In the 82nd minute, he continued to be the center of attention in an unwanted manner. The Brazilian midfielder committed a foul right on the edge of the penalty area with a reckless tackle. The referee immediately pulled out a yellow card as a warning and awarded Columbus Crew a free kick.
Two minutes later, Brais Mendez scored from the free kick to equalize at 2-2, bringing an end to a disastrous performance by the former Real Madrid midfielder. While Messi strove to make a difference after coming off the bench with a series of dangerous shots, Casemiro’s mistakes rendered all efforts of the 8-time Ballon d’Or winner meaningless.
In this match, Inter Miami started with great energy and took an early lead in the 16th minute thanks to a long-range screamer from over 35 meters by Luis Suarez. However, that advantage was quickly erased by Casemiro’s mistake.
Inter Miami managed to restore their lead before the break. In first-half stoppage time, Noah Allen scored with a header after VAR confirmed the goal was valid, putting the home team ahead 2-1. However, another mistake by Casemiro caused Inter Miami to pay a heavy price late in the game.
