Messi, Miami CONCACAF Cup dream over as Whitecaps move into final

Lionel Messi’s dream of winning Inter Miami’s first CONCACAF Champions Cup title ended on Wednesday with the Vancouver Whitecaps reaching the final with a 3-1 win in south Florida earning them a 5-1 aggregate victory.

Whoever their Liga MX opponent will be in the single game final, the Whitecaps will go into the game full of confidence after outclassing the most hyped-up and expensive Major League Soccer team in history.

In contrast to Miami’s slow and ponderous play, Vancouver delivered crisp, positive attacking football allied with evident grit and determination with three second half goals earning them their first appearance in the regional final.

“I’m just so happy for everybody in the club,” said the Whitecaps Danish coach Jesper Sorensen. “I am relatively new here but I know a lot of people have worked for many years and not seen (a) moment (like this),” he added.

Trailing 2-0 from the first leg, Miami made the perfect start to their comeback attempt when former Spain international Jordi Alba put them ahead on the night in just the ninth minute.

Messi, from midfield, threaded the ball through to Luis Suarez who found Alba on the left and his low drive got through Japanese keeper Yohei Takaoka at his near post.

Rather than retreat into a defence of their one-goal advantage, Vancouver went on the attack, knowing that an away goal could prove decisive.

After good work from American striker Brian White, Emmanuel Sabbi struck the outside of the post with a low drive.

White and Pedro Vite both tested Miami keeper Oscar Ustari as Vancouver opened up the home defence with remarkable ease.

The Whitecaps were just too quick and too smart for Miami’s slow back-line and labouring midfield.

A half-chance for Messi, which he fired high and wide, was the most the Argentine produced in the opening 45 minutes while his compatriot Tadeo Allende was unable to make the most of his openings.

Vancouver retained their positive approach after the break and they were rewarded just six minutes after the restart when, after a well-worked attack, Sebastian Berhalter pulled the ball back from the byline to White who placed into the bottom corner.

Two minutes later, the Whitecaps delivered the killer blow when, after a break down the left, the impressive Berhalter set up the arriving Vite whose shot took a slight deflection off Albi and flew into the top corner to make it 2-1 on the night and 4-1 on aggregate.

Agencies