Diego Rossi's goal sealed a 3-2 win for the Columbus Crew over Inter Miami in the League Cup Round of 16 match at Lower.com Field.
The Herons got things off to the best possible start with the opening goal within the first 10 minutes of the game. A touch from Columbus' Steven Moreira saw Diego Gomez leap and run down the line near the hosts' goal, and the Paraguay international looked up to see Matias Rojas alone in the penalty area.
Rojas latched on to Gomez's high cross with a headed effort to score his fourth goal of League Cup 2024 and put Miami 1-0 on the road in the Round of 16.
However, the Crew would bounce back to create few chances for the rest of the second half and the opening 45 second period. But the Herons got their second goal in the 62nd minute.
Luis Suarez found Gomez running with acres of space on the left and El Pistolero played Miami's number 20 all the way to the Columbus penalty area. Gomez then returned the favor to Suarez, who was placed high in the Crew's penalty area, before Suarez played Gomez through on goal and the 21-year-old easily finished off Nicholas Hagen.
Even though the hosts were down 2-0 with almost 30 minutes left, they did not give up and were able to score another goal with Christian Ramirez's head. Max Arfsten sent an inviting cross that the veteran forward was able to head home to reduce the team's deficit with a true super-sub action.
Things got worse for Mnyamazane shortly after the team tied things up at home. Juan 'Cucho' Hernandez teed up Diego Rossi in the Miami backfield, and the Uruguay international made no mistake seeking a direct tap-in to bring the score to 2-2 in the 69th minute.
Columbus would go on to convert the score just before the final 10 minutes. Substitute Mohamed Farsi played Rossi for the goal as Jordi Alba could not keep up with the playing player. Rossi actually beat Drake Callender to send the fans at Lower.com Field into chaos as their side overcame a 2-0 deficit to progress to the quarter-finals of the Leagues Cup.
On the other hand, it was frustrating for the Herons to lose as they blew a two-goal lead in the second half. Miami could not achieve their goal of repeating as League Cup champions without the legendary Lionel Messi while Columbus eyed another piece of silverware under Wilfried Nancy.
GK: Drake Callender – 6/10 – He was a bystander in the first half. I did better on Ramirez's head in the second half.
RB: Marcelo Weigandt – 5/10 – He found himself in a few favorable positions down the right but was unable to make the most of his opportunities. He struggled defensively at times as Columbus dominated his side of the field in the first half.
CB: Tomas Aviles – 6/10 – It started off on the wrong foot but picked up steam as the game progressed. Like Busquets, he somehow managed to leave Ramirez unmarked at the start of the 45 second.
CB: Sergio Busquets – 6/10 – He was sidelined due to the suspension of Hector Martinez and did not miss halftime until the second half. Busquets fell asleep in front of his goal when Ramirez scored and was not challenged.
CB: Noah Allen – 6/10 – It wasn't really a mistake with the first two goals for the Crew but there could have been a better situation with Rossi's strike.
LM: Jordi Alba – 6/10 – There's not much to write home about for the veteran fullback. He didn't take many attacking positions while he was also partially at fault for Rossi's match-winning goal.
CM: Diego Gomez – 8/10 – The Paraguayan international's persistence led to the first goal when he was assisted by Rojas' perfectly weighted cross. He extended Miami's lead in the second half but to no avail.
CM: Yannick Bright – 7/10 – Showed great eagerness from the first minute to help end any potential attack by Columbus.
CM: Federico Redondo – 6/10 – Redondo was in good possession of the ball but it was not enough for the team to win.
ST: Matias Rojas – 7/10 – He scored his fourth goal of the tournament with a well-placed header past Nicholas Hagen.
ST: Luis Suarez – 7/10 – He was outstanding in the build-up as he usually does but didn't get too many chances in front of goal.
What you are holding
SUB: Julian Gressel (68' for Rojas) – 6/10 – It didn't bring the desired effect after it appeared.
SUB: Ian Fray (84' for Weigandt) – N/A
SUB: Leo Campana (84' for Allen) – N/A
SUB: Benjamin Cremaschi (84' for Redondo) – N/A
The manager
Gerardo 'Tata' Martino – 6/10 – His approach to this game went well with a 5-3-2 defensive formation on the way to the MLS Cup champions. After all, his team was playing on cruise control towards the end of the second half before the wind picked up. However, his team lost two points after which he fell to the coach as the team has seen the results but failed. Hack it this time.
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