Inter Miami Falls to Columbus Crew in Dramatic Leagues Cup Upset Without Messi

Inter Miami against Columbus Crew in the Leagues Cup

The Inter Miami, without the presence of Lionel Messi, who is recovering from an injury, was eliminated from the Leagues Cup in a thrilling match against Columbus Crew at Lower.com Field in Columbus. Despite a promising start, the team led by Gerardo Martino could not maintain a two-goal lead and suffered an astonishing defeat of 3-2 in just 13 minutes. Thus, the reigning champion of the tournament in 2023 was eliminated in the round of 16 of a competition that pits teams from the Major League Soccer in the United States against Liga MX in Mexico. The top three places in the Leagues Cup qualify for the Concacaf Champions Cup.

The match started favorably for the Miami team, with a goal from Matías Rojas in the tenth minute. The home team made several dangerous turnovers while playing out from the back and soon paid dearly for it. The Paraguayan, assisted by his compatriot Diego Gómez, capitalized on a defensive error from Steven Moreira of the Columbus Crew and headed the ball into the back of the net.

August 13, 2024; Ohio, USA. Inter Miami CF forward Luis Suárez (9) controls the ball during the first half against Columbus Crew at Lower.com (Mandatory Credit: Joseph Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports)

It was incredibly difficult for Wilfried Nancy’s team to enter the match, accustomed to dominating through possession and appearing very uncomfortable throughout the first half. It didn’t help that neither Cucho Juan Hernández nor Diego Rossi provided much escape from the pressure offensively. Rossi had a clear chance at the edge of the box in the 43rd minute with an isolated play, but the Uruguayan attacker sent the ball into the clouds. Aside from that scare, the Inter Miami, with Martino clearly winning the tactical battle against Nancy, went into halftime with the lead after an almost perfect first half from the pink team.

In the second half, in the 17th minute, it was the turn of Gómez, who scored the second goal from the left side of the area after a counterattack and an ideal pass from Luis Suárez. With a seemingly safe lead of 2-0, Miami took a defensive posture. The Columbus Crew seemed shocked and nearly sunk, but their reaction was as magnificent as it was furious.

August 13, 2024; Ohio, USA. Columbus Crew forward Diego Rossi (10) celebrates after scoring in the second half against Inter Miami at Lower.com (Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports)

In a flurry of two minutes, substitute Christian Ramírez cut the deficit to one in the 22nd with a great header, quickly followed by Diego Rossi, who equalized in the 24th minute of the second half by taking advantage of a cross from Cucho. Confusion took hold of the Inter Miami players, who began to show signs of physical exhaustion and a morale blow from squandering a two-goal lead. The hero was Rossi, who sealed the score ten minutes from the end with his second goal, securing victory for the home team.

With the match now delivering a relentless end-to-end spectacle, the Columbus Crew had a chance for a fourth but neither Rossi, nor Ramírez, nor Jacen Russell-Rowe were accurate. The Inter Miami gave it their all until the end, and Lucho Suárez and Benjamín Cremaschi nearly equalized in stoppage time, but the Columbus Crew celebrated after a huge comeback. The next opponent in the quarter-finals will be the winner of the match between New York City and Tigres UANL from Mexico. On Monday, Seattle Sounders eliminated Pumas UNAM from Mexico after thrashing them 4-0.

Lionel Messi, who is still not training with the group due to an injury to his right ankle suffered in the final of the Copa América on July 14, but with Uruguayan Luis Suárez and Spaniards Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba, Las Garzas said goodbye to the tournament that they managed to win in 2023, achieving the only title in the institution’s history. When he recovers, the Argentine captain will need to focus on the MLS, the only tournament remaining in which he is leading the Eastern Conference.

With information from agencies.