Orlando City vs. Inter Miami: Final Score 4-3 as Ojeda Leads Lions’ Historic Comeback Win

Orlando City conceded early and often in falling behind 3-0 on the road in a game that might have been far worse without Maxime Crepeau’s saves. However, the Lions improbably rallied from three goals down behind Martin Ojeda’s hat trick and Tyrese Spicer’s late winner to shock Inter Miami 4-3 at Nu Stadium.

With the win, Orlando City becomes the first visiting team to beat the Herons (5-2-4, 19 points) in their new home, where they are now 0-1-3, and Inter Miami remains winless there. It was the first road victory of the 2026 MLS season for the Lions (3-7-1, 10 points), and Orlando City became just the third MLS team in the league’s history to win after trailing by three goals.

“Well, happiness for the result. Like I said 48 or 72 hours ago, the effort of the players is what we should be highlighting now, because they are doing a huge effort,” Orlando City interim head coach Martin Perelman said after the match.

Perelman’s lineup featured Crepeau in goal behind a back line of Adrian Marin, Robin Jansson, Iago, and Griffin Dorsey. Luis Otavio and Braian Ojeda started in central midfield between wingers Ivan Angulo and Tiago. Martin Ojeda and Justin Ellis led the attack up top.

Miami was dangerous from the jump and Orlando could not get out of their own end as has been the case so many times this season already. The Herons paid off that pressure just four minutes in off a corner kick. The initial ball was partially cleared, but Miami recycled it and a simple ball into the box found multiple wide-open Miami attackers in front of Crepeau’s goal. Ian Fray was the man who got his head to it to make it 1-0 before the crowd had even settled in.

The Herons should have gone up 2-0 just a couple of minutes after opening the scoring. Berterame had a wide-open look in front but he sent his curling shot wide of the right post.

Orlando’s first decent-looking attack came from a takeaway in the midfield in the 14th minute, but the resulting counterattack broke down as Dorsey ignored an open Martin Ojeda at the top of the area and instead got his cross blocked, ending the threat without a shot attempt. Martin Ojeda then had a chance to equalize in the 17th minute when left alone in space outside the box. The Argentine got plenty of power on his shot, but he couldn’t keep the ball on target and it fizzed over the crossbar to waste a good opportunity.

Things nearly got worse when Lionel Messi got in behind Jansson in the 18th minute. The Swedish center back turned into a linebacker, tackling the Miami star and earning a yellow card only because Iago was behind enough to negate the denial of a goal-scoring opportunity.

Crepeau then made a series of jaw-dropping saves on the ensuing set piece and in its aftermath. The Canadian denied Messi’s free kick and Luis Suarez twice before making a leaping stop on Rodrigo De Paul from distance.

Two corners later, Crepeau did well on Miami’s short corner to tip Messi’s curling effort over the crossbar.

Miami’s second came on the counterattack off a terrible pass from Angulo straight to an opposing player. At the end of the counter, Suarez sent Messi to the end line and the Argentine centered it for a tap-in for Telasco Segovia, who had beaten Marin. The game was effectively over already just 25 minutes in.

Angulo continued to give the ball awaywhen Orlando had possession, and the Lions were fortunate to stay within 2-0 for a short spell as the counterattacks continued. However, that ended in the 33rd minute when Messi stepped past an overcommitted Iago and curled a left-footed shot inside the left post to make it 3-0.

Another huge save by Crepeau on Segovia in front kept the score from becoming more embarrassing in the 36th minute. He then made two more big saves to stop De Paul and Berterame, as Miami kept putting the ball into threatening spots.

The Lions spoiled the shutout in the 39th minute with a quickly played goal down the middle. Jansson sent a long ball to Ellis, who chipped the ball to Martin Ojeda in space. The Designated Player made a move to the right to lose two defenders, spun to freeze a third and put the ball on his favorite left foot, and smashed a perfectly placed shot inside the left post past Dayne St. Clair to make it 3-1.

The Lions gave up another corner and looked to break after clearing it, but once again it was Angulo giving the ball away in space near midfield with plenty of options available.

Orlando kept looking for a second as time wound down in the first half, but Miami’s defense was able to clear two dangerous-looking crosses in the box early in stoppage time. The Lions then looked to be set up with a free kick in a dangerous spot in the fourth added minute when Maxi Falcon held Tiago from behind. Falcon was initially booked but the flag came up, negating both the set piece and the booking, despite the replay clearly showing two defenders keeping Tiago onside, which is not reviewable.

Inter Miami’s dominance on the scoreboard was reflected on the stat sheet, as the Herons dominated in possession (61.7%-38.3%), shots (16-2), shots on target (10-1), corners (8-0), and passing accuracy (90.4%-75.2%). If not for Crepeau’s seven saves, the match would have already been a massacre by the break.

“We knew that wasn’t the performance we should be having,” Perelman said about his team’s first half. “But as well we knew that we trust in ourselves, and we knew we were able to turn around the game. We spoke that we scored four goals in the past, so we can do it again, one goal at a time.”

Perelman made two changes at the break to try to get his team back in it, sending Eduard Atuesta and Spicer on for Otavio and Tiago.

The first look at goal of the second period fell Ellis’ way in the 49th minute. Near the top of the area on the left, Ellis sent a shot toward goal that deflected up into the chest area for St. Clair to catch.

Atuesta ignited Miami’s first look at goal after halftime with a heavy touch near midfield, setting up a four-on-four counterattack. Messi picked out Segovia on the left but he got under his shot and sent it badly off frame in the 51st minute.

Duncan McGuire returned from a lower leg injury in the 59th minute, replacing Ellis, who had played a big role in Wednesday’s U.S. Open Cup win. McGuire’s return took place midway between two decent back-post balls from Dorsey that found no teammate making a run. The second of those set up a corner kick. Martin Ojeda picked out Braian Ojeda at the top of the area, but the ball came in awkwardly for the midfielder, who sent it off target off his upper leg.

Spicer’s giveaway led to Miami breaking three on three in transition, but an uncharacteristically heavy touch from Messi ended the threat. Orlando quickly recovered and scored at the other end. Marin ran onto a clearance from Miami and carried it forward before finding Ojeda to his left. The Designated Player quickly smashed it in off the right post to make it 3-2 in the 68th minute.

“I’m so happy for Martin,” Perelman said. “Martin played 90 minutes 72 hours ago. He doesn’t want to leave the field, not even one second. He’s an exceptional player, an amazing person. I’m so happy for him and for us to have a player like him.”

Inter Miami quickly won a corner just seconds after the restart but De Paul’s shot was blocked. The Lions went the other way, but Yannick Bright broke up the play by fouling Martin Ojeda and perhaps was fortunate not to receive his second yellow. The set piece found Iago on the right and the big Brazilian headed it dangerously back in front but he was offside on the play, ending the threat.

Orlando should have done better in transition in the 73rd minute when a pass split the defense and sent Atuesta down the middle. The midfielder, however, did not have the pace to get in cleanly. He took a touch to his left and could have shot, but instead he waited and found Martin Ojeda on his right. Ojeda took a touch, allowing St. Clair time to get off his line and cut down the angle, ultimately making a point-blank save to keep the game 3-2.

Two minutes later, McGuire got down the left side and tried to sneak a shot past St. Clair at the near post but the Canadian international made the save. Orlando City won a corner kick and the set piece led to Orlando’s opportunity to pull level. The referee was watching a battle between Iago and Falcon, holding up the set piece to talk to both players. After the ball came in, Iago shook free of Falcon, who caught up and pushed the Brazilian down from behind. The foul in the box was called and Orlando City had a penalty kick with a chance to tie the match.

Martin Ojeda stutter-stepped late in his run-up, sent St. Clair one way, and completed his hat trick into the empty side of the net in the 79th minute, tying the match at 3-3.

“I enjoy those moments. I like those moments, those penalties,” Ojeda said. “From when I was a kid, I was prepared for those and trained for those. I never feel pressure in those moments. The pressure that I feel is in my life, when my son or when my family is sick with an illness or or a flu. In those moments, I don’t feel pressure on the pitch. And so, I think when I get to those moments, I try to enjoy them. I think of of my son, of my family, of all the people behind me that are giving me that hand of support in those moments and try and find a moment of peace when there’s those pressure moments.”

Despite improbably pulling level, Orlando quickly allowed another golden opportunity for a Miami goal. The ball cycled in from the right to Tadeo Allende in the area. He mishit his shot and sent it left to Berterame, who was offside. However, the ball skipped just wide of the net and would likely have counted since it didn’t appear to be touched.

Orlando forced a good opportunity to take the lead in the 81st minute when Angulo poked the ball away in Miami’s defensive third. Spicer sent it to Martin Ojeda on the left near the top of the area. Again St. Clair rushed quickly off his line and this time the shot hit the goalkeeper in the face. Spicer sent the rebound well off target from distance. St. Clair needed treatment and went through concussion protocol but stayed in the match.

Atuesta and Bright traded unsuccessful chances in the final minutes of normal time, and Martin Ojeda saw his shot blocked during a two-on-two transition attack in the first of eight added minutes.

Two minutes later, Orlando took its first lead of the match. Braian Ojeda sent a ball forward that an offside Martin Ojeda let go. Spicer blazed past the last defender to reach the loose ball first and tucked in the ultimate game winner through St. Clair’s legs.

Miami didn’t stop threatening, however, and an ill-advised Iago foul set Messi up with a dangerous free kick just outside the area deep in stoppage time. Messi’s free kick cleared the wall and fizzed just inches over Crepeau’s crossbar in the sixth added minute.

The Lions survived a corner in the 99th minute and the final whistle finally ended an unlikely comeback victory.

At full time, Inter Miami held the advantage in possession (61.2%-38.8%), shots (25-13), shots on target (10-8), corners (10-2), and passing accuracy (90.8%-78.7%). However, it was Martin Ojeda’s precision and a better defensive second half that helped the Lions forge a way back into the match, with Spicer’s speed and fresher legs making the difference.

“We tried at the beginning to close internal spaces where they were strong, but we couldn’t,” Perelman said. “And then we tried to press little bit higher. Even that was a risk, but we were down in the score, so we were forced to do it. And then offensively, I think the most important adjustments were focused on the offensive side.”

“There’s a huge emotion that I feel within that’s inexplicable, because, you know, the way that we came out in the first half, it wasn’t us,” Martin Ojeda said. “We fell behind. And I think it showed going into halftime, and then in the second half, we came out, we showed who we can be as a team.”

Orlando City will continue its road swing with a match at CF Montreal a week from tonight.