The Argentine bagged a brace of assists to lead Gerardo Martino’s Herons into the final of the competition.
Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami have reached the final of the US Open Cup final after defeating Obinna Nwobodo’s Cincinnati 5-4 on penalties on Thursday morning.
With the thrilling encounter tied at 3-3 after extra time, the Argentina international inspired the Herons during kicks from the penalty spot.
The six-goal thriller got off to a dramatic start when Cincinnati took an early lead with a deflected shot from Luciano Acosta in the 18th minute.
The Orange and Blue doubled their advantage seven minutes before the hour mark courtesy of Brandon Vazquez’s effort having been teed up by Colombian defender Santiago Arias.
Looking dead and buried, Inter Miami continued to push and that paid off in the 68th minute as Leonardo Campana pounced home from Messi’s well-taken free-kick.
In a dramatic twist of event, Campana completed his brace in stoppage time with the former Barcelona and PSG great supplying the assist.
The momentum swung in favor of Inter Miami during extra time, with Josef Martinez finding the net to give Gerardo Martino’s men a 3-2 lead.
Regardless, Cincinnati did not back down, as Yuya Kubo’s skillful shot brought the game to a thrilling 3-3 tie in the 114th minute.
During the ensuing kicks from the penalty mark, Nick Hagglund missed his shot as Messi and teammates reached the final as they await either Houston Dynamo or Real Salt Lake.
Former Nigeria youth international Nwobodo was in action for the entire duration for Cincinnati, but was cautioned in the 31st minute by referee Joseph Dickerson.
His team would be hoping to bounce back from this setback by defeating New York City in their Major Soccer League outing on Sunday inside the TQL Stadium, Ohio.
