Lionel Messi was unable to prevent Inter Miami from slumping to a surprise 2-0 defeat at the Vancouver Whitecaps in the first leg of their CONCACAF Champions Cup semi-final last night.
Messi played the full 90 minutes at BC Place but struggled to make much of an impact as the Canadian hosts took control of the tie.
Vancouver went ahead midway through the first half when Pedro Vice crossed for Brian White to head past Oscar Ustari in the Miami goal.
Vancouver strikes first against Inter Miami! @WhitecapsFC pic.twitter.com/8iDx2J61xz
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) April 25, 2025
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Messi powerless as Berhalter nets crucial second
Miami had plenty of the ball – ending with 69 per cent possession – but did little with it and the hosts doubled their advantage with five minutes to go, Sebastian Berhalter firing into the roof of the net after the Miami defence failed to deal with Jayden Nelson’s center.
It was a sobering night for Miami and coach Javier Mascherano but the Argentine remains confident his side can still get through when the teams meet again for the second leg on May 1.
Vancouver extends the lead to 2-0 over Inter Miami! @WhitecapsFC pic.twitter.com/N5WlQ1uCdw
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) April 25, 2025
Mascherano said: “We’ll try to analyze what happened, try to change, and we’ll try to come back. It’s difficult, but it’s not impossible.
“One more game to play, so we’ll try to come back and win the game in Miami. We know that we have our people, our fans behind us, so we can do it.”
‘Caps not getting carried away
It was arguably the biggest night in the Whitecaps’ recent history but Berhalter knows the job is not yet done.
The American said: “We can’t get ahead of ourselves. We’ve got one more game…all that matters is that we win and advance to the final.”
The winners will play either Cruz Azul or Tigres UANL in the final on June 1.
