Despite dominating possession for large spells, Inter Miami found it difficult to carve out clear-cut opportunities in the final third.
In front of a raucous home crowd of over 53,000 at BC Place, Vancouver Whitecaps scripted a historic night as they defeated Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami 2-0 in the first leg of the CONCACF Champions Cup semifinal. The Canadian side now take a two-goal advantage into the second leg.
From the start, Inter Miami asserted their control as they dominated possession on the ball. However, it was the hosts who landed the first blow and it came completely against the run of play. In the 24th minute, Brian White headed home as he capped off a wonderful team move after a sumptuous cross from Pedro Vite. It was White’s seventh goal in six matches and perhaps the most significant yet as he gave the Whitecaps a surprise lead.
Vancouver rode the momentum through the rest of the half. While Miami kept possession, it was the Whitecaps who looked more dangerous when they surged forward. Inter Miami came out strong in the second half, determined to turn things around. They moved the ball with more urgency but Vancouver’s defence refused to buckle under the pressure. In the 85th minute, Sebastian Berhalter smashed a powerful strike from close range past Miami goalkeeper Oscar Ustari.
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Despite dominating possession for large spells, Inter Miami found it difficult to carve out clear-cut opportunities in the final third. Lionel Messi, meanwhile, was kept unusually quiet by a disciplined Vancouver backline. This result could well go down as one of the greatest nights in Vancouver Whitecaps’ history.
The decisive second leg of the semifinal will be on Wednesday at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The winner will book their place in the CONCACAF Champions Cup final on June 1, where they’ll face the winner of the all-Mexican clash between Cruz Azul and Tigres UANL.
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