Messi spurs Miami to the championship
ISLAMABAD: Inter Miami overcame a 2-0 deficit to defeat Cincinnati on penalties after their dramatic US Open Cup semi-final ended 3-3 after extra time in Ohio. Lionel Messi served as Inter Miami’s inspiration. Miami is currently one victory away from winning their second championship since Messi joined the team last month after defeating Nashville on penalties to win the Leagues Cup on Saturday.
Houston Dynamo will play Miami in the championship match on September 27 after the Texans defeated Real Salt Lake 3-1 in overtime. Miami’s streak of victories since bringing in Messi and the Spanish duo of Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba appeared to be coming to an end in the sweltering heat with temperatures over 100 degrees fahrenheit (38 Celsius) at kickoff. With 22 minutes left in the game, Inter was behind 2-0 when the Argentine gave Leonardo Campana two flawless assists that forced overtime.
Luciano Acosta, a fellow countryman of Messi, gave Cincinnati the lead in the 18th minute, and American striker Brandon Vazquez doubled Cincinnati’s advantage in the 53rd minute with a powerful shot from the edge of the box.
When Campana received a pass from Messi at the back post in the seventh minute of stoppage time, the Ecuadorian forward once more scored to force extra time. When Nick Hagglund’s penalty for Cincinnati was stopped by Callender in the shootout’s 4-4 tie, Cremaschi made the subsequent attempt to guarantee Miami’s spot in the championship game.
Published in EDP BLOGS on August 25.2023.
