Superstar Lionel Messi contributed 2 assists, helping Inter Miami overcome Cincinnati FC in the semi-finals of the US Open Cup.
On the morning of August 24, Messi’s Inter Miami entered the US Open Cup semi-final against Cincinnati. This is expected to be a difficult competition when Cincinnati is in high form, ranked first in the eastern rankings. In fact, Messi and his teammates had to face many difficulties before winning the penalty shootout
The new home team Cincinnati are the better entrants. In the 18th minute, Luciano Acosta made an accurate shot, opening the score for the match
Realizing Messi’s influence, the Cincinnati players followed closely, not allowing the number 10 to have much space to play. In the first half, Inter Miami held the ball more but had difficulty approaching the home team’s goal
Difficulties piled up with Inter Miami when Cincinnati doubled the lead early in the second half. Striker Brandon Vazquez was the one to put his name on the scoreboard with a dangerous finish outside the box.
At a time when the home team was in trouble, Messi once again shone brightly. Unable to score in front of the opponent’s guidance, the 36-year-old superstar made a mark with the role of an assist. In the 68th minute, Messi had an accurate cross for Leonardo Campana to score to shorten the gap to 1-2
Campana benefits from passes like Messi’s put
When everyone thought of a victory for Cincinnati, in the 90+7 minute, Messi opened the ball from a distance of 30m, putting Campana in a very favorable position. This striker did not miss. The score 2-2 forced both sides to enter extra time
Messi’s classy assist in the 90+7 minutes
Here, each side has one more goal. Inter Miami led 3-2 thanks to Josef Martinez, but Cincinnati also equalized with a goal from Yuya Kubo.
Inconclusive, Inter Miami and Cincinnati were forced to enter the penalty shootout. Messi and his teammates made no mistakes on all five of their kicks while Cincinnati’s Nick Hagglund missed. In the end, Inter Miami completed a spectacular comeback to win 5-4
Messi and his teammates reached the final of the US Open Cup. They will meet the winner of the Houston Dynamo/Real Salt Lake pair on September 27.
