Inter Miami CF clinched a thrilling victory over FC Cincinnati, securing a spot in the 2023 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Final. In an electrifying match before a sold-out crowd of 25,513 at TQL Stadium, Inter Miami prevailed 5-4 in penalty kicks following a dramatic 3-3 draw in regular and extra time.
The game saw Inter Miami initially fall behind 2-0, but Lionel Messi, the reigning World Cup champion, connected twice with Leonardo Campana to level the score and force extra time. In the 93rd minute, Josef Martínez, who was part of the 2019 Open Cup championship team, pushed Inter Miami ahead 3-2. However, FC Cincinnati’s Yuya Kubo scored a 114th-minute equalizer, leading the match to a penalty shootout.
The shootout was intense, with both teams converting their spot kicks through the first four rounds. In the crucial fifth round, Inter Miami’s goalkeeper, Drake Callender, emerged as the hero once again. He made a decisive save, denying Nick Hagglund’s penalty kick. Seizing the opportunity, Benjamin Cremaschi confidently scored Inter Miami’s final penalty, propelling the team to its first U.S. Open Cup Final of 2023.
Inter Miami will now await the winner of the second semifinal between Houston Dynamo and Real Salt Lake. The Open Cup Final is scheduled for September 27, as Inter Miami aims to secure its second championship of the year.
Despite scorching conditions with a heat index temperature exceeding 100 degrees Fahrenheit, both teams displayed determination during the opening 15 minutes. FC Cincinnati broke the deadlock in the 18th minute with a splendid effort from Lucho Acosta, giving them a 1-0 lead.
Inter Miami fought back and nearly equalized shortly thereafter, but Messi’s pass to Diego Gómez was thwarted by FC Cincinnati goalkeeper Alec Kann. The first half concluded with Inter Miami pressing for goals, including attempts by Jean Mota and DeAndre Yedlin, but they remained behind.
Early in the second half, FC Cincinnati extended their lead to 2-0 through Brandon Vazquez’s strike in the 53rd minute. Nevertheless, Inter Miami mounted a comeback. Messi’s expertly executed free kick found Leonardo Campana’s head in the 68th minute, halving the deficit.
In the dying moments of regulation time, Messi’s cross to Campana almost led to the equalizer, but Campana’s header narrowly missed the target. However, the Messi-Campana partnership shone once more in the 7th minute of stoppage time, as Campana’s header secured the equalizer and forced extra time.
Just three minutes into extra time, Inter Miami surged ahead. A defensive mistake by FC Cincinnati allowed Jordi Alba to assist Benjamin Cremaschi, who set up Josef Martínez for the go-ahead goal. FC Cincinnati, however, remained resilient and substitutes Bret Hasley and Yuya Kubo combined for a late equalizer in the 114th minute.
The match ultimately hinged on the penalty shootout. After an impeccable first four rounds, Drake Callender’s save in the fifth round and Benjamin Cremaschi’s successful conversion propelled Inter Miami to the U.S. Open Cup Final and marked their second championship appearance in 2023.
– LAMAR HUNT U.S. OPEN CUP MATCH REPORT-
Match: FC Cincinnati vs. Inter Miami CF
Date: August 23, 2023
Competition: Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Semifinal
Venue: TQL Stadium; Cincinnati, Ohio
Attendance: 25,513 (sellout)
Kickoff: 7:05 p.m. ET
Weather: 83 degrees; Partly cloudy
Scoring Summary: 1 2 OT F PKs
CIN 1 1 1 3 4
MIA 0 2 1 3 5
CIN – Luciano Acosta (Aaron Boupendza) 18th minute
CIN – Brandon Vazquez (Santiago Arias) 53
MIA – Leonardo Campana (Lionel Messi) 68
MIA – Leonardo Campana (Lionel Messi) 90+7
MIA – Josef Martínez (Benjamin Cremaschi) 93
CIN – Yuya Kubo 114
CIN: Yuya Kubo – goal, Santiago Arias – goal, Sergio Santos – goal, Matt Miazga – goal, Nick Hagglund – saved
MIA: Lionel Messi – goal, Facundo Farías – goal, David Ruiz – goal, Josef Martínez – goal, Benjamin Cremaschi – goal
Lineups:
CIN: 1-Alec Kann; 4-Nick Hagglund, 5-Obinna Nwobodo, 9-Aaron Boupendza (7-Yuya Kubo, 62), 10-Luciano Acosta (Capt.) (28-Raymon Gaddis, 89), 13-Santiago Arias, 19-Brandon Vazquez (17-Sergio Santos, 78), 21-Matt Miazga, 31-Álvaro Barreal (42-Bret Halsey 105), 32-Ian Murphy (2-Alvas Powell, 88), 93-Junior Moreno (8-Marco Angulo, 89)
Substitutes not used: 18-Roman Celentano
Head coach: Patrick Noonan
MIA: 1-Drake Callender, 2-DeAndre Yedlin (11-Facundo Farías, 58), 5-Sergio Busquets, 6-Tomás Avilés (32-Noah Allen, 78), 7-Jean Mota (41-David Ruiz, 58), 8-Diego Gómez (17-Josef Martínez, 78), 9-Leonardo Campana (30-Benjamin Cremaschi, 91), 10-Lionel Messi (Capt.), 18-Jordi Alba, 27-Sergii Kryvtsov, 31-Kamal Miller (16-Robert Taylor, 58)
Substitutes not used: 29-CJ Dos Santos
Head coach: Gerardo Martino
Stats Summary: CIN / MIA
Shots: 22 / 11
Shots on Goal: 9 / 6
Saves: 3 / 6
Corner Kicks: 6 / 2
Fouls:22 / 18
Offside: 2 / 0
Misconduct Summary:
MIA – Jordi Alba (caution) 24th minute
CIN – Obinna Nwobodo (caution) 31
MIA – Jean Mota (caution) 41
MIA – Tomás Avilés (caution) 70
MIA – Sergii Kryvtsov (caution) 80
MIA – Gerardo Martino (caution) 80
CIN – Luciano Acosta (caution) 85
CIN – Álvaro Barreal (caution) 90
Officials:
Referee: Joseph Dickerson
Assistant Referee 1: Luis Uranga
Assistant Referee 2: Andrew Bigelow
4th Official: Eric Tattersall
VAR: Kevin Terry Jr.
Assistant VAR: Thomas Supple
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