Lionel Messi goes scoreless, Inter Miami needs late goal to tie Cincinnati 2-2

MIAMI (AP) — Riquelme Fillipi tallied his first Major League Soccer goal in the 90th minute to cap a late-game barrage of scores, and Lionel Messi and Inter Miami escaped with a 2-2 tie against FC Cincinnati on Wednesday night.

Luis Suárez scored in the 61st minute to give Inter Miami a 1-0 lead, and then the reigning MLS Cup champions needed some late-game heroics to salvage a point. They still fell to third in the Eastern Conference, after New England beat Red Bull New York 3-2 on Wednesday.

That gave New England 58 points, two ahead of Miami with two matches left — including one between those clubs in Foxborough, Massachusetts, on Sunday.

Evander had a brilliant chance to win it for Cincinnati with a shot from around the penalty spot on what became the last real chance of the match in stoppage time — but Inter Miami defender Ian Fray got his body in front of the ball to deflect it away.

Cincinnati's ensuing corner kick was harmless and time expired.

Kenji Mboma Dem scored in the 80th minute and Samuel Gidi got his first MLS goal six minutes later for Cincinnati, which is still aiming to clinch a playoff spot. Gidi scored on a counterattack from the top of the box, and Cincinnati — briefly — looked like it was going to pull off a stunner.

Fillipi saved the day for Inter Miami, connecting from the left side of the box. It was nearly the same spot that Suárez scored from earlier.

And now, Sunday becomes massive for Inter Miami. Messi's team will travel to play the Revolution, with the outcome certain to go a long way not only to determining which team gets the No. 2 seed in the East — but potentially the No. 2 seed in the MLS Cup playoffs.

That will be the next-to-last regular season game for Miami, which closes Nov. 7 at home against Charlotte.

Before the game, MLS announced that next year's Sprint Season will have Cincinnati visiting Miami on Feb. 19 — the first game of the shortened season that will serve as the bridge between the league's current calendar and the more international-aligned one that will begin in July 2027.

Cincinnati missed a chance to move closer to clinching a playoff spot. It needed a win at Miami on Wednesday and a Columbus loss against Dallas to formally lock up a berth.

See AP’s full soccer coverage here

FC Cincinnati forward Kevin Denkey (9) controls the ball past Inter Miami defender Micael during the first half of an MLS soccer match, Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2026, in Miami. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi (10) incurs a yellow card in a clash with FC Cincinnati midfielder Samuel Gidi (11), right, during the first half of an MLS soccer match, Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2026, in Miami. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi, right, is pursued by FC Cincinnati forward Kenji Mboma Dem during the first half of an MLS soccer match, Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2026, in Miami. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi (10) is shown a yellow card during the first half of an MLS soccer match, Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2026, in Miami. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Inter Miami players celebrate after forward Luis Suarez (9) scored during the second half of an MLS soccer match against FC Cincinnati, Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2026, in Miami. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Poppy cultivation and opium production in Afghanistan rose sharply over the past year, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime said on Thursday, describing it as the first significant increase since the country’s Taliban rulers imposed a narcotics ban in 2022.

The agency attributed the rise to deepening poverty, which it said has driven some farmers to cultivate opium clandestinely. It called on the international community to provide greater support to farmers to help curb reliance on illicit crops.

Afghanistan was the world’s biggest opium producer and a major source of heroin in Europe and Asia when the Taliban seized power in August 2021. They pledged to wipe out the country’s drug cultivation industry and imposed a formal ban in April 2022, dealing a heavy blow to hundreds of thousands of farmers and day laborers who relied on proceeds from the crop to survive.

The U.N. agency said cultivation was up 330% and production rose by 400% compared to last year. Cultivation rose to more than 43,000 hectares (106,000 acres) in 2026 from 10,000 hectares (24,700 acres) a year earlier, it said.

Farmers were concealing small poppy plots within cereal fields or inside walled compounds to evade detection, the report said.

“The fourfold increase in opium poppy cultivation shows the difficulty in sustaining decreases in illicit opium cultivation when poor farmers have no alternatives to feed their families,” a statement quoted the agency’s executive director, Monica Juma, as saying.

“The (Taliban authorities) and the international community need to work together to support farming communities by investing in livelihoods, farming infrastructure and access to markets,” she added.

The U.N. agency said that while cultivation and production remained below levels prior to the 2022 narcotics ban, the increase was the highest since the ban came into effect. The agency said that continued monitoring was required as it was too early to determine whether the increase was temporary or an indication of the resurgence in opium cultivation and production.

Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi on Tuesday described the fight against narcotics as one of the Taliban administration’s greatest achievements. He however, also said the international community has a role to play to keep the drugs issue under control.

“An effective fight against this phenomenon is a shared responsibility of both Afghanistan and the international community,” Muttaqi said. “It is essential alongside security measures to support alternative livelihoods for farmers, provide treatment for those struggling with addiction, and enhance regional and international cooperation against drug-trafficking networks.”

FILE -Taliban eradicate a poppy field in Washir, district of Helmand province, Afghanistan, May 29, 2022. (AP Photo/Abdul Khaliq, File)