Inter Miami's 3-0 loss to FC Cincinnati on Wednesday night ended Lionel Messi's MLS record streak of five consecutive goals. Gerardo Valenzuela's goal in the first half and two goals from Evander in the second half helped Cincinnati stay one point behind the Philadelphia Union in the Eastern Conference standings. On Wednesday night, Philadelphia defeated CF Montreal 2-1. Fifth in the Eastern Conference standings, Inter Miami (11-4-5) had a five-game winning streak that came to an end with the defeat. Messi is the first player in Major League Soccer history to score in more than four games in a row. His 16 goals in 17 MLS games tied him for the league lead. Since joining MLS, Messi has only faced Cincinnati three times, but the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner has faced challenges from the squad. Cincinnati led 1-0 after Valenzuela slanted a shot from the left side of the box for his fifth goal of the season. Cincinnati had four shots on goal in the first 16 minutes against Inter Miami. In the last minute of first-half stoppage time, Messi's first attempt found its way into keeper Roman Celentano's arms with ease. Less than five minutes into the second half, Evander gave Cincinnati a 2-0 lead with his 14th goal of the season and his 50th in Major League Soccer. Cincinnati (14-3-6) lost 4-2 to the Crew on Saturday despite having a two-goal lead against Columbus. This time, Cincinnati managed to hold on by thwarting Messi's Inter Miami offensive. After Luca Orellano's shot bounced off the goalie, Evander scored a goal off a rebound to make it 3-0 and seal the win. In the 78th minute, Messi had a chance, but a diving Celentano stopped his close-range attempt. Messi, 38, has participated in eight consecutive games with 90 minutes or more, including four Club World Cup contests. He had gone the furthest of any player at one point during the second half. Kevin Denkey, Cincinnati's second-leading scorer, was sidelined by a leg injury.