FORT LAUDERDALE (AFP) – The Houston Dynamo defeated Inter Miami 2-1 to win the US Open Cup on Wednesday with an injured Lionel Messi watching from the stands at DRV PNK Stadium.
Without Messi and his former Barcelona team-mate Jordi Alba, Miami struggled to compete with an enterprising Houston.
Miami co-owner David Beckham, who watched the game with his former Real Madrid team-mate Zinedine Zidane, had hoped for another night of celebration after the team’s Leagues Cup triumph last month.
But Miami lacked intensity and ideas as they were given the runaround by Ben Olsen’s impressive Houston team.
No clear explanation has been given for Messi’s injury with references to “muscle fatigue” followed by talk from coach Gerardo Martino of “scars” from an old injury.
“He will certainly play before the league is over,” he added.
Martino meanwhile said Miami’s season was finally starting to catch up with them.
“I thought it was a very exhausted team,” he said.
“The reality is that we were going to feel the consequences of so many games.”
With no Messi to worry about, Houston were on top from the outset. Houston grabbed the lead in the 24th minute with a perfect counter-attack ending with Brazilian Artur feeding the overlapping Griffin Dorsey who blasted in at the near post.
Houston were utterly dominant, passing the ball with a swiftness that left Miami chasing shadows and it wasn’t long before they had doubled their advantage.
Colombian winger Quinones cut into the box from the left flank and Miami right-back DeAndre Yedlin’s desperate lunge brought him crashing to the ground.
French forward Amine Bassi made no mistake from the spot to make it 2-0.
Martino made two changes at the break, bringing on Venezuelan striker Josef Martinez and Ecuadorean midfielder Dixon Arroyo.
Martinez gave Miami some late hope with a left-foot strike in stoppage time after latching on to a ball from Argentine Facundo Farias.
But it was too little, too late from Miami and Houston deservedly won their second US Open Cup to add to their triumph in 2018.
