Inter Miami overturned a two-goal deficit to an exciting 3/3 overtime draw against Cincinnati, led by legend Lionel Messi, before winning a penalty shootout 4/5 and reaching the final of the US Open Cup.
In the early hours of Thursday morning, August 24, at TQL Stadium in Cincinnati, the local team advanced with the first goal in the 18th minute through Argentine midfielder Luciano Acosta, after an assist from the famous Gabonese player Aaron Bubenza, who was coming during the current summer Mercato from the Saudi Youth Club. .
The Cincinnati team strengthened its lead 2/0 at the beginning of the second half of the match, at the 53rd minute, with a goal scored by American striker Brandon Vasquez with a shot from the 18th line, following a counterattack led by Colombian right-back Santiago Arias, player of Granada, Bayer Leverkusen and former Atletico Madrid.
And at a time when the Cincinnati fans believed that their team was on the verge of the final match, the coach of Inter Miami, Tata Martino, decided to make five changes in the 58th and 78th minutes, with Robert Taylor, David Ruiz, Facundo Farias, Joseph Martinez and Noah Allen, which led to his reduction of the score. Then equalize the time killer.
The 68th minute witnessed Lionel Messi making the goal with a wonderful cross pass from a direct free kick that he executed from the left corridor and found the head of the Ecuadorian player Leonardo Campaña, to deposit it in the net in a wonderful way that restored Inter Miami’s hopes of being in the final match again.
And Messi returned to take care of the second goal for his team in the 90 + 7 minute, with another amazing cross pass with the left foot, which Leonardo Campagna turned his head into the right corner of the goalkeeper.
And Campania compensated with this double for his skill in wasting easy opportunities several days ago against Nashville in the final of the North and Central American Leagues Cup, which was crowned by Inter Miami, with a penalty shootout difference of 9-10, after a positive 1-1 draw in normal time for the meeting at the beginning of this week.
Inter Miami took advantage of the psychological trauma experienced by the Cincinnati stars in the last minute of stoppage time, and was keen to add the third goal before his opponent recovered from Campania’s deadly goal.
Substitute striker Joseph Martinez scored Inter Miami’s lead in the 93rd minute (the third of the first extra period), but this time by making a player other than Messi, it was the young American midfielder Benjamin Karimachi who took Campania’s place in the 91st minute.
Before the end of the second extra period, Cincinnati club realized the goal of the 3/3 modification by the Japanese player Yuya Kubo, so that the match turned into penalty kicks that went to Lionel Messi’s comrades, with 5 correct kicks to 4.
Messi scored the first kick for Inter Miami successfully, and then his teammates Farias, Ruiz and Joseph Martinez continued to score properly, until substitute player Benjamin Karimassi scored the fifth decisive kick, taking advantage of Nick Hagland’s wastage of the fifth kick for Cincinnati by shooting it exposed in the hands of the Miami goalkeeper.
2023-08-24 02:31:47
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