Africa-Press – Eritrea. Lionel Messi’s hopes of leading Inter Miami to their first Concacaf Champions Cup title are over this season after a comprehensive semi-final defeat by Vancouver Whitecaps.
Trailing 2-0 from the first leg, Miami were beaten 3-1 at home in Fort Lauderdale as the Canadian side ran out 5-1 aggregate winners.
Argentina legend Messi and Uruguay striker Luis Suarez were both involved in the build-up as their former Barcelona team-mate Jordi Alba opened the scoring on the night for Miami with a low shot in the ninth minute.
But a comeback by Miami, who are coached by another ex-Barcelona star in Javier Mascherano, failed to materialise with 37-year-old Messi shooting high and wide with his best chance of the first half.
The Whitecaps hit the outside of the post before half-time, while American striker Brian White and Ecuador’s Pedro Vite both tested Miami goalkeeper Oscar Ustari.
The visitors regained their two-goal cushion in the 51st minute through White’s clever flick into the bottom corner from 10 yards, and when a shot from the edge of the box by Vite deflected up over Ustari two minutes later the tie was effectively settled.
Another deflected strike from Sebastian Berhalter, after the Whitecaps had again cut through Miami’s ragged defence, added the visitors’ fifth on aggregate in the 71st minute.
They will play Cruz Azul or Tigres UANL – the two Mexican sides meet in Thursday’s second semi-final (03:00 BST on Friday) – in the final, bidding to become the first Canadian side to win the regional competition.
Miami, currently fifth in the MLS Eastern Conference, have seven domestic matches before the league breaks for the Club World Cup in June.
“Although it was the first time the club had advanced to the semi-finals, the defeat hurts us a lot because we imagined reaching the final,” said Mascherano.
“But we have to accept that our opponents outplayed us.
“Now we have to focus on MLS.
“I’m not thinking about the Club World Cup. There’s a month and a half to go and it would be a mistake to focus on that.”
Miami are in a group with Egyptian side Al Ahly, Portugal’s Porto and Palmeiras of Brazil in the Club World Cup.
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