Columbus Crew assured a new champion in the Leagues Cup with a 3-2 victory to end the title defense of Inter Miami CF when the two clashed in the Round of 16 on Tuesday at Lower.com Field in Columbus, Ohio.
Matías Rojas opened the scoring in the 10th minute with a header in the box as the 2023 champions took the lead at the home of the MLS Cup winners.
An unmarked Diego Rossi missed an attempt in the box at the 43rd minute mark in what looked like a day where the home side could be staring at elimination.
The Florida side doubled its lead in the 62nd minute as Diego Gómez struck from the left side of the box on a give and go with Luis Suárez.
“I think we played 65 brilliant minutes, where we could have even scored the third goal,” said Inter Miami CF head coach Gerardo Martino. “And in 10 minutes that we had some discomfort, I think the opposite, it was not because we sat back, but because sometimes we wanted to press high when perhaps we were not in a position to do so.”
Christian Ramírez ignited the Columbus comeback in the 67th minute with a header in the box to cut the deficit.
Diego Rossi tied the game in the 69th minute, striking at the far left post to connect with a cross from Cucho Hernández.
Rossi secured the lead in the 80th minute with a right-footed hit inside the penalty area to capitalize on an exquisite pass from Mohamed Farsi. The brace marks Rossi’s second in consecutive Leagues Cup matches.
The closing minutes delivered high drama as both teams looked close to scoring another for their respective tally. Drake Callender made consecutive stops in the 87th minute to deny Rossi and Ramírez.
On the other end, Rudy Camacho came in clutch with a clean tackle to strip Suárez inside his penalty area two minutes into stoppage time.
After a flurry of late attempts, Camacho headed the ball back to Nicholas Hagen to complete the five minutes of added time. The Guatemalan goalkeeper fell to the ball, leading to the final whistle and an exhale for players and fans in Columbus.
“I didn't like the first half,” said Columbus Crew head coach Wilfried Nancy. “We discussed with the players, they came back with a better energy, and they did the job.”
“There is not only physical effort, it's really important also to have mental effort,” Nancy added. “Last year, we had good moments because we came back from behind, so I'm not surprised. I'm really happy to have a game like this, because we suffer, and it was good to have a better competitive spirit and to be front foot to win the game.”
The Crew continue its quest to win the Leagues Cup for the first time. The reigning MLS Cup champions move on to the quarterfinals as Inter Miami CF bows out.
“I am very sad about the result, because I think that we take very little away from the game we played and the opponent we played against,” Martino added. “When you look at how the team competes today against Columbus, the reality is that one cannot help but be very satisfied with the way we can position ourselves in the home of the last champion.”
