EDICRIC | Football News | Lionel Messi Leads Inter Miami win over FC Cincinnati U.S. Open Cup Semis
Lionel Messi Leads Inter Miami win over FC Cincinnati U.S. Open Cup Semis
Lionel Messi, a famous football player who has won the Ballon d’Or award seven times and is a hero from Argentina’s World Cup, has been doing well since he joined Inter Miami CF at the end of July. He has scored 10 goals in just seven games, which helped the team to win the Leagues Cup title and get to the final of the US Open Cup. In his most recent game, he helped his team by making two great passes. He also scored a penalty goal as Inter Miami won against FC Cincinnati in a penalty shootout after the game ended in a 3-3 tie in the US Open Cup semi-final on Wednesday night.
Inter Miami | Came Back Strong Second Half
Inter Miami had a hard game against Cincinnati, who are leading in the MLS (Major League Soccer). In the first half, Cincinnati scored two goals, one by Luciano Acosta and another by Brandon Vazquez. Acosta, who is the captain of the team from Argentina, made his 14th goal of the season smartly after a header by Aaron Boupendza. Vazquez, a forward from the US national team, scored the second goal with a strong shot from far away, and Santiago Arias, a former player from Atletico Madrid and Colombia, helped him.
But, Inter Miami didn’t give up. They came back strong in the second half. Messi, who hadn’t scored in the games before this, showed how good he is at passing by helping his teammate Leonardo Campana score two goals. One goal was from a free kick where Messi kicked the ball perfectly for Campana to head it into the goal. The second goal happened in the last minutes of the game when Messi sent a long pass to Campana, who nodded the ball into the goal.
Lionel Messi | 2 Assists & Penalty Goal
The game went on even after the normal time, and in extra time, Inter Miami scored again. Josef Martínez scored the goal in the 93rd minute. He is from Venezuela and joined Inter Miami in July. He made a quick shot after a fast attack, and the ball went past Cincinnati’s goalkeeper Alec Kann. However, FC Cincinnati didn’t give up either and scored a goal in the 114th minute. Yuya Kubo, a midfielder from Japan, came in as a substitute and scored with a strong hit close to the goal after a corner kick.
A penalty shootout decided the game, and Lionel Messi was the first to take a penalty for Inter Miami. He kicked the ball calmly to the bottom left corner while the goalkeeper went the other way. Both teams were successful with their first four penalty kicks, but in the fifth round, Inter Miami’s goalkeeper Drake Callender made an important save against Nick Hagglund. Then, Ben Cremaschi scored the final penalty for Inter Miami, which sent them to the final of the tournament.
US Open Cup Final | Inter Miami vs Houston Dynamo
On September 27, Inter Miami will play against Houston Dynamo in the US Open Cup final. Houston won their semi-final game by beating Real Salt Lake 3-1 in extra time. This is a big opportunity for Inter Miami to win their second trophy this season. They already won the Leagues Cup title earlier this month. They can also make history by becoming the first team in the MLS to win both the Leagues Cup and the US Open Cup in the same season.
Lionel Messi, who is going to play his first MLS game for Inter Miami against New York Red Bulls on Saturday, has played a very important role in the success of Inter Miami. He has shown that he is a great leader and a skilled player both on and off the field. He motivates his teammates and fans with his performance. He has also shown that he can do well in any league and face any challenge, even though he is 36 years old. He is one of the best football players in history, and he still has more to achieve.
