Author: Amrit Santlani
Lionel Messi failed to score for the first time since arriving at Inter Miami, but the Argentine converted a penalty and helped his team pull off a late comeback to advance to the US Open Cup final on penalties.
Gerardo Tata Martino’s side were trailing 0-2 in the 68th minute, but managed to level the scores in regulation time. During extra time, they exchanged goals with Cincinnati, ending the match in a 3-3 draw. The penalty shootout was followed by a 5-4 win in Ohio on Wednesday.
For the first time since joining Inter Miami last month, Messi failed to score, having netted in each of his last seven games. However, he provided two assists and scored a goal from the penalty spot in the dramatic victory.
Thus, the 36-year-old helped Miami reach their second final in the space of a week, after beating
Nashville on penalties in the League Cup final
.
Since the David Beckham-owned team was formed as an expansion team in 2020, their last triumph was their first silverware.
The US Open Cup is the oldest cup competition played on American soil since 1913, so reaching the final of the oldest and most prestigious competition in the USA will show that the club is on an upward curve.
Messi provided two assists in the second half, setting up two headed goals for Leonardo Campana, which took the game into extra time after goals from Luciano Acosta and Brandon Vazquez.
Josef Martinez scored in the 93rd minute, but his goal was disallowed by Yuya Kubo. So the match went to a penalty shootout, and Cincinnati’s Nick Hagglund missed the last kick, after which 18-year-old Benjamin Cremaschi showed excellent behavior to win the game for his team.
“We’re living a dream and we’re kicking ass,” Cremaschi said in an interview with CBS Golazo Network after scoring the winning penalty. With 10 goals and 3 assists since joining Inter Miami, Messi will make his Major League Soccer debut trying to get back to scoring ways when Martino’s side face the New York Red Bulls.