Inter Miami is on the verge of winning their second trophy of the Lionel Messi era, earning a hard-fought 5-4 win on penalties as their semifinal fixture against FC Cincinnati at the U.S. Open Cup ended at 3-3 after extra time at the QTL Stadium in Cincinnati.
🚍🚍 RUMBO A LA FINAL PT. 2️⃣ 🚍🚍 pic.twitter.com/itycdofELA
— Inter Miami CF (@InterMiamiCF) August 24, 2023
Miami fell into an 0-2 hole in the second half after Luciano Acosta and Brandon Vazquez scored for Cincinnati.
Messi failed to score for the first time in an Inter Miami kit, but he provided two assists - including one at the death to send the game to extra time.
Josef Martinez gave Inter Miami the lead in the 93rd minute, but Yuya Kubo tied the game again for Cincinnati near the end of extra time.
Cincinnati defender Nick Hagglund's penalty, which was the team's fifth, was saved by Miami goalkeeper Drake Callender. The 18-year-old Benji Cremaschi nailed the winning penalty for the visitors.
FC Cincinnati is the best team in the MLS with 51 points, topping the Eastern Conference, while Inter Miami is last.
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Inter Miami just won a trophy less than a week ago
The team is coming off the first trophy in club history after winning the Leagues Cup final over Nashville SC last Saturday. The game ended with a score of 1-1, causing the game to go to penalties.
The shootout was as thrilling as it could get, needing 20 shots before Nashville's goalkeeper Elliot Panicco's kick was saved.
Messi was named as the best player in the tournament, winning the Golden Boot with 10 goals.
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