After a 3-3 draw on Wednesday night, Lionel Messi had two assists and scored in a penalty shootout that pushed Inter Miami past MLS-leading Cincinnati 5-4 on kicks and into a US Open Cup final versus Houston.
Before Saturday's encounter against the New York Red Bulls, Miami had gone unbeaten in eight games with Messi. A seven-time Ballon d'Or winner, the 36-year-old joined the group last month and helped them win the Leagues Cup.
After Luciano Acosta and Brandon Vazquez gave Cincinnati a 2-0 lead in the 18th and the 53rd minutes, respectively, Messi assisted goals by Leonardo Campana in the 68th and the seventh minute of stoppage time.
Three minutes into extra time, Josef Martnez gave Miami a 3-2 lead, but Yuya Kubo restored the score in the 114th minute.
Miami's first try in the shootout was successful thanks to Messi, and the teams were unblemished through four rounds. Drake Callender, the goalie for the Herons, stopped Nick Hagglund's kick in the fifth round, but Ben Cremaschi converted on his penalty kick to advance Miami to yet another championship game.
Houston defeated visiting Salt Lake 3-1 in overtime to win the other semifinal. Adalberto Carrasquilla scored in the 105th minute, Héctor Herrera scored in the fifth minute of first-half stoppage time, and Luis Caicedo scored five minutes into the second extra session for the Dynamo. In the 64th minute, Anderson Julio scored an equalizer.
The final will be held on September 27 in Miami.
The Cincinnati players fell in sadness as Cremaschi was promptly greeted by his teammates as the ball found the back of the net and they swirled around in a large circle on the pitch.
“I think we were lacking sharpness to navigate that first half,” Miami coach Tata Martino said through a translator. “We were a step off. I saw a team with one gear less than our rival. The good thing about all of this is that we didn’t drop our shoulders, we pressed on. It’s not easy in a semi-final to turn things around the way we did. We adapted a lot. I think we were controlling the game well in the second half. And the penalties, after that ... If I’d had this kind of luck in penalties for the rest of my career, things would have been a lot less stressful.”
Messi was held without a goal for the first time since moving to Miami, scoring 10 goals in seven League Cup games. His first assist resulted from a free kick, while his second came from a long cross that was headed in for Campana's second goal.
Messi gathered his teammates and pretended to be giving a speech before the penalty shootout. Messi's penalty kick was low and to the left corner after Kubo's initial attempt, with Alec Kann, the backup goalkeeper who starts cup games, diving the opposite way.
Messi didn't take a shot until just before the end of the extra period, and it was easily saved.
When Messi had the ball in the first half, FC Cincinnati did a good job of closing the space.
With a header from Aaron Boupendza's assist, Acosta scored his 14th goal in all competitions. A low pass from former Atletico Madrid and Colombia international defender Santiago Arias allowed US national team striker Vazquez to score from outside the penalty area.
Among those present and taking part in pre-game activities were Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, wide receivers Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd, and defensive end Sam Hubbard.
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