Inter Miami have won 2023 Leagues Cup over Nashville SC 1-1 (9-10 on pens.), winning their first trophy in team history after strong showings from Lionel Messi and Drake Callender.
Heading into the game, both Nashville and Miami were eager to start fast to get one hand on the Leagues Cup trophy, the first piece of silverware for either club.
The opening 20 minutes saw both sides have decent looks at goal before Messi stepped up and put the Herons in front. Miami were breaking forward on a counter, and Robert Taylor tried to play Benjamin Cremaschi through on goal before his pass ricocheted around the edge of the box and landed at Messi's feet.
The 36-year-old danced around a couple of Nashville defenders before curling home the opening goal of the game with a magnificently placed strike. 1-0, Miami.
A moment of individual brilliance from the best player in the world had Miami at front at the break, as the Boys in Gold may have felt hard done to be down given the chances they created.
Just over 10 minutes into the second 45, Nashville got themselves back into the game off a corner kick. Fabrice 'Fafa' Picault got on the end of a corner from Hany Mukhtar with a low headed effort that bounced off Drake Callender and went over the line. Both sides were knotted at 1-1 with roughly 30 minutes left in regulation.
Messi was inches away from restoring the Herons' lead as another shot from outside the box struck the post but bounced out of harm's way for Nashville.
After a chaotic and dramatic ending to regulation that featured Mukhtar forcing Callender to make a top save and substitute Leonardo Campana striking the post from close range, the two teams were still tied at 1-1 - a penalty shootout was on the horizon.
It seemed as if there wouldn't be a winner with both sides nearing the end of their lineups for the shootout after Callender converted his attempt. But Callender went on to save Nashville goalkeeper Elliot Panicco's attempt, sealing the victory for the south Florida club, 1-1 (10-9).
It was a transformative competition for the Herons, as Messi led the way while Taylor and Callender certainly didn't disappoint. Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba linked up with Messi and the rest of the Miami squad brilliantly, showcasing their quality.
With Leagues Cup now conquered, Messi and Miami will now focus their efforts on climbing out of the Eastern Conference basement to make MLS playoffs.
Nashville SC player ratings (4-3-3)
GK: Elliot Panicco - 6/10 - Couldn't keep out Messi's superb strike - not many goalkeepers would've been able to.
RB: Shaq Moore - 7/10 - Had a go from distance but his shot went flying over the bar, was busy dealing with Jordi Alba all night on his side of the pitch.
CB: Lukas MacNaughton - 6/10 - A decent showing in the backline for the former Toronto FC player.
CB: Walker Zimmerman - 7/10 - Struggled in the early stages but got better as the game wore on.
LB: Daniel Lovitz - 6/10 - The full-back neither helped nor hindered his side.
CM: Dax McCarty - 6/10 - Did his job in the middle of the park by recycling play and spraying the ball out wide to kick-start attacks.
CM: Alex Muyl - 6.5/10 - Created a couple of chances in the first half, but faded away in the second half before being taken off.
CM: Anibal Godoy - 5/10 - Tried to get under Messi's skin early on - not the greatest of ideas.
RW: Hany Mukhtar- 7/10 - The reigning MLS MVP had several moments of brilliance throughout the game and nearly put his side in front with a powerful strike that forced Callender to action.
ST: Sam Surridge - 5.5/10 - Nashville's new No. nine was disconnected from the other two starters up front, but did have a decent effort at goal midway through the second half. Came close to finding a late winner from a set piece.
LW: Fabrice Picault- 7/10 - Did well to stay composed at the back post to score the equalizing goal.
Substitutes
CM: Sean Davis (72' for Dax McCarty) - 6/10 - Didn't have a huge impact on the game but did well to convert his penalty.
LW: Jacob Shaffelburg (72' for Fabrice Picault) - N/A.
AM: Randall Leal (82' for Alex Muyl) - N/A.
Manager
Gary Smith - 7.5/10 - Chose a strong lineup that worked well enough to give his team a chance in the shootout, but was unlucky not to bring the trophy home for the hosts.
Inter Miami player ratings (4-3-3)
GK: Drake Callender - 10/10 - Came up huge for his team by not only saving two penalties in the shootout but also converting his own attempt.
RB: DeAndre Yedlin - 6.5/10 - A steady performance from the USMNT player, doing just enough on both ends of the pitch.
CB: Serhiy Kryvstov - 7/10 - A strong performance from the veteran center-back. He was tidy on the ball and made several key interventions.
CB: Kamal Miller - 6.5/10 - Another solid showing from the Canada international
LB: Jordi Alba - 6.5/10 - Constantly making runs down the left-hand side and always looking to play a cut-back pass for any Miami teammate in the box.
CM: Dixon Arroyo - 6.5/10 - Had a solid performance in the midfield, continuing his theme of underrated showings in the competition.
CM: Sergio Busquets - 7/10 - Showed his quality yet again in the middle, completing passes with ease.
CM: Benjamin Cremaschi - 7.5/10 - Was everywhere in the midfield and in attack and his run was key to the opening goal.
RW: Lionel Messi - 8/10 - Wasn't involved in the game heavily until he made his mark with a sweetly struck effort to open the scoring. Led the way in Leagues Cup for the Herons and helped them capture their first ever piece of silverware.
ST: Josef Martinez - 5/10 - Couldn't get into much of a rhythm on the night.
LW: Robert Taylor - 6.5/10 - Helped set up the opening goal indirectly as his pass bounced around the edge of the box before finding Messi.
Substitutes
ST: Leonardo Campana (68' for Josef Martinez) - 6.5/10 - Was quiet after coming on until the last kick of the game, where he nearly won the game for the Herons but was unlucky.
CM: Diego Gomez (68' for Benjamin Cremaschi) - 6/10 - Converted his attempt during the shootout.
CM: Victor Ulloa (80' for Dixon Arroyo) - N/A.
CM: David Ruiz (80' for Robert Taylor) - N/A.
Manager
Gerardo 'Tata' Martino - 7/10 - No surprises with his lineup, and his substitutions were effective as Campana almost found a late, late winner. Nonetheless, he becomes the first coach in Miami history to win a trophy.
Player of the match - Drake Callender (Inter Miami)
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This article was originally published on 90min as Nashville SC 1-1 (9-10) Inter Miami: Player ratings as the Herons win Leagues Cup in penalties .
