Inter Miami rallies, beats FC Cincinnati in penalty kicks, reaches U.S. Open Cup final

Inter Miami refuses to lose.

For the second game in a row, Lionel Messi and his gutsy teammates survived a dramatic penalty-kick shootout in a do-or-die cup game on the road and the team’s win streak stretched to eight since the arrival of the Argentine star.

Miami rallied from two goals down to beat FC Cincinnati 5-4 in penalties in the U.S. Open Cup semifinal with Key Biscayne teenager Benjamin Cremaschi converting the game-winner after Miami goalkeeper Drake Callender made a save on the previous attempt by Nick Hagglund. It was the second time in a month that Cremaschi scored the winning PK.

“We’re living the dream and I’m enjoying it,” Cremaschi said in his post-game remarks on the field. “Sometimes I sit down and really think about the position that I’m in and it’s incredible. I never thought I’d be in the spot I am today.”

Just when it seemed the Messi Magic had run out, when Inter Miami was moments away from losing its first game since the Argentine legend joined the team, he curled a spectacular cross from deep and Leo Campana headed it into the net to tie the score at 2 as regulation expired to force extra time.

Josef Martinez gave Miami a 3-2 lead early in extra time off a Cremaschi feed, and then Cincinnati’s Yuya Kubo scored the equalizer in the 114th minute. When it was all over, after Cremaschi’s penalty kick hit the back of the net, the Miami players exulted and the stunned sellout TQL crowd went silent.

Miami will play the Houston Dynamo in the championship game Sept. 27.

The final will be hosted by Miami and team owner Jorge Mas said there is a chance that game would be moved from DRV PNK Stadium to Hard Rock Stadium to allow for a larger audience.

“We were missing something the first half, but didn’t lower our heads, we kept trying to score, kept fighting until the end,” said coach Tata Martino. “We’ve been able to overcome many matches as a result of the team’s character more than its play; and obviously having the best player in the world with us. The expectations keep growing as we face each challenge, and the exhaustion we have is overcome by the excitement we get from moving on each stage.

“..As far as the penalties, if I had that kind of luck with penalties throughout my career as a coach, my life would have been a little better.”

TV commentator Ray Hudson, calling the game for CBS Sports Golazo Network, compared Messi to physicist Robert Oppenheimer: “He knows the laws of physics, the laws of physics don’t know Messi.”

Messi also delivered the cross that led to Campana’s first goal in the 67th minute.

“We all know that when Messi, Busi (Sergio Busquets) and Jordi (Alba) arrived, the team changed completely,” Campana said. “The energy they bring in the day to day is very positive, a winning attitude and that is contagious to the rest of the teammates. Obviously, they are three players who are big pluses, but they have also elevated the rest of us and playing with them is a privilege.

Cincinnati coach Pat Noonan was asked before the game what his game plan would be against Miami, and specifically Messi.

“I watched the Leagues Cup final and I think Nashville defended really well and limited the number of passes to Messi and (Sergio) Busquets, but it came down to moments and Messi was superb,” Noonan said. “It’s in those moments that you need to defend better and get close to him as much as possible. Hopefully, we can keep him quiet.”

They kept him quiet for most of the night. But in those few moments, Messi was superb once again.

“(Messi) has a response for every moment, no matter the circumstances,” Martino said. “He did more as a conductor than finisher in this game, with the passes to Campana. He makes difficult plays look easy.”

Through nearly all of regulation it appeared Messi and his teammates were emotionally and physically spent after winning four games over 13 days to clinch the Leagues Cup title, including a tense 11-round penalty-kick shootout in the final.

It seemed maybe Martino’s decision to switch four starters and the formation threw the team off.

Or, maybe FC Cincinnati, the top team in Major League Soccer this season, really was that good.

Whatever the case, Inter Miami struggled most of the night and was facing its first loss since Messi joined the team in early July. Messi scored 10 goals in his first seven games with Miami, but Cincinnati held him scoreless through 120 minutes.

Even before the game began, it was clear FC Cincinnati fans were not going to let Messi’s star power overshadow their love for the home team. Unlike Miami’s other road games, which had significant numbers of fans in pink and Messi No. 10 jerseys, the sellout TQL Stadium crowd of 25,513 was almost entirely orange and royal blue. It looked and felt like a midseason Florida Gators football game at The Swamp.

Irked that Cincinnati-based Busken Bakery made special edition cookies featuring the face of the Argentine icon in advance of Wednesday’s game, die-hard Cincinnati fans blasted the bakery on social media.

The bakery later apologized on its social media accounts and posted a photo of cookies with the FC Cincinnati team logo.

As has been the case at all road games since Messi’s arrival, security was beefed up and Messi was the focal point of the pregame buildup.

How much attention was there on Messi? So much that the English language broadcast of the game on CBS Sports Golazo Network included a special viewing option with a dual screen “Star Cam” to keep focus on Messi throughout the game.

But it was another Argentine No. 10 from Messi’s hometown of Rosario who was celebrating the first goal on this night. Luciano “Lucho” Acosta gave the home team the lead in the 18th minute after pouncing on Boupendza’s header at the edge of the box and beating Callender from close range.

Cincinnati widened its lead to 2-0 in the 53rd minute on a strong strike from Brandon Vazquez, who got the assist from Santiago Arias following a fast break.

Campana gave Miami life with a perfectly placed header off Messi free kick, but it seemed as the clock wound down that it wouldn’t be enough. Then, that moment of Messi magic led to Campana’s second goal and the impossible became possible.

“I had been playing limited minutes, so tonight I got an opportunity (as a starter), took advantage, and I am very happy to be on this team,” Campana said. “Last game we won a title. Now we have a chance to win another cup.”

Wednesday’s matchup featured Inter Miami, fresh off a Leagues Cup championship, against FC Cincinnati, the top team in MLS this season. Cincinnati has a league-high 51 points in the standings and Miami has a league-low 18 points with 12 games to go in the regular season.

Martino, who hinted he would do some roster rotation after Miami played five games in 17 days, made four changes to the starting lineup.

Campana, Diego Gomez, Tomas Aviles and Jean Mota started in place of Josef Martinez, Robert Taylor, Benjamin Cremaschi and Dixon Arroyo. Aviles, a 19-year-old Argentine, made his Inter Miami debut. Mota, the Brazilian midfielder, made his return from knee surgery after missing 23 games since his injury on April 30. He looked rusty and was replaced in the 58th minute.

Martino also tweaked the formation to a 5-3-2, and it was obvious from the opening whistle that Miami was not playing as freely or creatively as it had during the Leagues Cup run.

Cincinnati’s defense did a good job of closing the gaps and Messi had to drop back deeper than normal to get to the ball, which kept him out of dangerous spots for much of the night.

Second-half subs included Taylor, Facundo Farias and David Ruiz for Kamal Miller, Mota and DeAndre Yedlin. Noah Allen replayed Aviles in the 78th minute and Cremaschi replaced Campana in the 90th.

Asked about Cremaschi’s performance, Martino said: “I am very happy with all the young players. Once again, they had to step up, coming into a game when we were trailing. Allen playing 1 v 1 against (Sergio) Santos, a very physical player, Benja and David (Ruiz) taking care of the ball in the midfield and then making their penalty kicks. These kids grew at a tough time earlier this season when they had to step in and now when they had to respond, they did.”