By Tony Álvarez
We knew it was going to be memorable, and both teams lived up to the hype as Inter Miami CF came back to beat Orlando City SC 3-1 with two late Lionel Messi goals to reach their second Leagues Cup Final in three years and secure their ticket to the Concacaf Champions Cup.
It was intense right from the beginning. We knew Martín Ojeda was going to be dangerous, and his name was mentioned early on when, not even eight minutes into the game, he dribbled down the pitch from the left and entered the box to deliver a strong shot that Óscar Ustari saved. This sparked a back-and-forth first half.
Then it was Inter Miami CF’s turn when Rodrigo De Paul received a ball from Luis Suárez and, with the inside of his right foot, took a shot that Pedro Gallese sent out for a corner kick in the 22nd minute.
Iván Angulo on a counterattack and Suárez after entering the box from the right both had chances, but their shots went wide. Just over 33 minutes into the game, we had the intense battle everyone expected.
But Orlando City seemed to have Inter Miami CF’s number this season, and it showed when, in the 45+1 minute, they took the lead. Luis Muriel delivered a clinical pass to Marco Pašalić as he entered the box, and after dribbling past defender Maximiliano Falcón, he fired a rocket into the back of the net to put his team up 1-0 just before halftime.
After that, Javier Mascherano’s team was determined to tie the game, dominating the first 25 minutes of the second half with plenty of chances, but the final touch was just off. OCSC adjusted their game plan with the lead, waiting for space up front to counter the home team’s attacks.
However, it was only a matter of time before the equalizer came for Inter Miami CF. A penalty was awarded after a foul by David Brekalo on Tadeo Allende, who jumped for a cross. The Slovenian defender received a second yellow card, which turned into a red, and he was sent off in the 75th minute.
Then Lionel Messi stepped up and delivered a powerful left-footed shot to beat the goalkeeper and tie things up two minutes later. The “Leo show” was just getting started. From that point on, the home side dominated against an Orlando City SC team down a man.
More chances were created, but it was in the 89th minute that Messi’s magic struck again. After a series of rebounds, the Argentinian star took the ball and passed it to Jordi Alba, who quickly returned it for Messi to finish with a timely strike and put his team ahead. But the party wasn’t over.
In stoppage time, Telasco Segovia and Luis Suárez combined for a similar play. The Venezuelan midfielder collected a Rodrigo De Paul pass, entered the box from the left, and used the Uruguayan as a wall to receive the ball back after a quick pass, finishing with another remarkable strike that Pedro Gallese couldn’t stop.
With the 3-1 final score, Inter Miami CF reached their second Leagues Cup Final in three years and also qualified for the Concacaf Champions Cup. They now wait to learn their opponent for Sunday’s championship match. Orlando City SC, meanwhile, will play for third place — and the tournament’s final Concacaf Champions Cup berth, awarded to the top three teams.
REACTIONS
- Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi:
- “I wanted to be here, ever since I came back against Galaxy I felt some discomfort there, I didn't feel comfortable. I prepared myself to be in this match, I knew how important the opponent was, a very complicated one that this year had won our two meetings (against them), in the first half I still felt a little off but in the second half I loosened up more.”
- Inter Miami Assistant Coach Javier Morales:
- “We know that Orlando (City SC) is a really good team, we said it before the game and I think in the first half it was even, I think they had more chances than us and we adjusted, we were in communication with Javier (Mascherano), he was upstairs, we tweaked a few things from the first half.”
- Orlando City Head Coach Óscar Pareja:
- “I think we had a very good first half, we had control. I think we came with a plan that forced us to look for goals, we were one goal up, but it is difficult to maintain dominance against Inter Miami.
PLAYERS OF THE GAME
- Inter Miami:
- Lionel Messi had missed the last two Leagues Cup matches but came back with a vengeance, scoring the game-tying AND game-winning goals. He now has 12 goals in 10 career Leagues Cup appearances.
GAME NOTES
- Inter Miami CF advances to their second ever Leagues Cup Final, they won the 2023 Championship.
- Lionel Messi scored two goals in the game, his fourth career brace in Leagues Cup play (all other three came in 2023).
- This is Orlando City's first loss against Inter Miami this season across all competitions (they had won previous two matchups by a combined score of 7-1).
- With the win, Inter Miami CF has qualified for the Concacaf Champions Cup for the second consecutive year.
- Orlando City saw defender David Brekalo sent off in the 75th minute, and Miami would score all three of their goals after this.
CARDS/INJURY REPORT
- Yellow Cards:
- Inter Miami: Ian Fray, Luis Suárez, Sergio Busquets, Lionel Messi
- Orlando City: Eduard Atuesta, Rodrigo Schlegel, César Araujo
- Red Card:
- Orlando City: David Brekalo
LOOKING AHEAD
- Inter Miami will travel to Seatlle to face the Sounders in the Leagues Cup final on Sunday.
- Orlando City will visit the LA Galaxy in the 3rd-place game on Sunday to determine the final team to get a Concacaf Champions Cup spot.
