CINCINNATI (AP) — Lionel Messi had two assists and converted a penalty kick as Inter Miami rallied from a two-goal deficit and beat MLS-leading Cincinnati 5-4 in penalties in a U.S. Open Cup semifinal on Wednesday night.
Cincinnati jumped to a 2-0 lead before Messi set up a pair of goals by Leonardo Campana, tying the game at 2. Miami moved ahead when Josef Martínez scored three minutes into the first extra period, but Cincinnati tied the game at 3 when Yuya Kubo scored in the 114th minute, forcing penalty kicks.
Messi made Miami’s first attempt in the shootout, and both teams were perfect through four rounds. Herons goalkeeper Drake Callender saved Nick Hagglund’s kick in the fifth round, and Ben Cremaschi made his PK to send Miami to another tournament final.
Cremaschi quickly was met by his teammates after the ball hit the back of the net, and they danced around in a group circle on the field while FC Cincinnati players knelt down in disappointment after seeing another opportunity for the club’s first trophy off the table.
Miami advanced to face the winner of Wednesday’s late semifinal between Houston and Salt Lake in the final in Sept. 27.
“I think we were lacking sharpness to navigate that first half,” Inter Miami coach Tata Martino said through a translator. “We were a step off. I saw a team with one gear less than our rival. The good thing about all of this is that we didn’t drop our shoulders, we pressed on. It’s not easy in a semifinal to turn things around the way we did. We adapted a lot. I think we were controlling the game well in the second half. And the penalties, after that … If I’d had this kind of luck in penalties for the rest of my career, things would have been a lot less stressful.”
Messi was held scoreless for the first time since joining Inter Miami in late July. His first assist of the game was on a free kick in the 68th minute to cut Miami’s deficit to 2-1. He delivered a long cross into the box to set up Campana’s second goal on a header that sent the game to overtime with just one minute left before the whistle ended regulation.
Before the penalty shootout, Messi gathered his teammates and appeared to be giving a speech. After Kubo made the first attempt, Messi went to the spot and placed his PK low to the left corner while by FCC backup goalkeeper Alec Kann, who has started all of the team’s Cup matches, dove in the opposite direction.
“He’s a leader on the pitch and with the group he’s shown it for a long time, not only here with Miami but also with Argentina,” Martino said. “Luckily, players get behind his leadership and enthusiasm in his response for every moment, no matter the circumstances, and today he showed it more as a conductor than a finisher, and you saw that with the pass late in the match but he makes difficult plays look easy.”
Messi didn’t attempt a shot until right before the final overtime whistle, an attempt easily saved.
Throughout the first half, FC Cincinnati had done well to close the space whenever Messi got on the ball. Cincinnati coach Pat Noonan had spoken Tuesday in a pre-match news conference about Messi just needing one moment to change the game. That was exactly the case Wednesday, and FCC seemed deflated going into extra time, despite defending Messi well for most of the match.
The seven-time Ballon d’Or winner, who led Argentina to the World Cup crown last year, had scored 10 goals in his first seven games with Miami, leading the team to the Leagues Cup title. He is set to make his Major League Soccer debut Saturday at the New York Red Bulls.
“He makes the delivery on the plays that matter, and that’s where he’s a difference-maker,” Noonan said. “I thought as a whole the guys did a pretty good job of limited moments where he could be in dangerous spots to cause us problems, at times, having him drift a little further from goal and be a playmaker. I thought we handled those moments pretty well along the back line and I thought the 1 versus 1 moments and when we could double, we got a lot of those moments right to be able to win the ball, so we knew it was going to be a difficult challenge, but I thought overall the guys had some good discipline in trying to limit a very elite player.”
Luciano Acosta and Brandon Vazquez scored the first two goals for Cincinnati.
Cincinnati took a 1-0 lead early in the first half on a nifty flick from Acosta, its Argentine No. 10 and captain, who scored his 14th goal across all competition this season off a header from Aaron Boupendza.
Vazquez, a U.S. national team forward, doubled Cincinnati’s lead in the 53rd minute on a laser from outside the box, off a low cross from former Atletico Madrid and Colombia international defender Santiago Arias.
Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, wide receivers Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd and defensive end Sam Hubbard were in attendance and took part in FC Cincinnati’s pre-game festivities on the pitch, setting the tone for what could have been a memorable night for the hosts.
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AP MLS: https://apnews.com/hub/major-league-soccer and AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
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