Miami star Lionel Messi didn’t play because he was still out with a right ankle injury.
WASHINGTON: Diego Rossi scored two goals in the second half, helping Columbus Crew defeat reigning champions Inter Miami 3-2 to reach the Leagues Cup quarter-finals on Tuesday. The Uruguayan forward tied the game for the Crew in the 69th minute and scored the winning goal in the 80th minute, knocking out Miami, who also lead this season’s overall MLS standings.
Miami star Lionel Messi did not play, as he was still out with a right ankle injury suffered a month ago during Argentina’s Copa America final win over Colombia.
With the victory, reigning MLS champion Columbus Crew will host a Saturday quarter-final against New York City, who won 2-1 over Tigres.
Paraguayan midfielder Matias Rojas gave Inter Miami a 1-0 lead in the 10th minute, and Diego Gomez doubled the lead in the 62nd. US striker Christian Ramirez responded for the Crew in the 67th, setting up Diego Rossi’s two-goal heroics.
The tournament features teams from MLS and Mexico’s Liga MX, with Messi leading Miami to last year’s first-ever title shortly after arriving in Florida.
New York City rallied to reach the last eight. Argentine midfielder Guido Pizarro, Tigres’ captain, opened the scoring with a header in the 18th minute, but another Argentine, Maxi Moralez, equalized for City in the 20th. Uruguayan Santiago Rodriguez scored the winner for City in the 65th minute.
In Cincinnati, Tai Baribo’s two goals lifted the Philadelphia Union over the hosts 4-2. Philadelphia took a 2-0 lead with goals by Danish forward Mikael Uhre in the 51st minute and Israeli striker Baribo in the 61st. Cincinnati responded with goals from Czech midfielder Pavel Bucha in the 66th minute and US defender DeAndre Yedlin in the 80th minute. But the Union struck back with goals by Baribo in the 82nd minute and US substitute Quinn Sullivan in the 84th.
Philadelphia will next face Mazatlan at home in a quarter-final on Saturday. Mazatlan defeated Cruz Azul on penalties after a 2-2 draw in Washington. Mazatlan took a 2-0 lead with goals from Bryan Colula in the 40th minute and Panamanian midfielder Edgar Barcenas in stoppage time. Cruz Azul went down to 10 men early in the second half when Argentine defender Gonzalo Piovi was shown a red card. Despite that, Uriel Antuna scored in the 84th minute, and Colombian defender Willer Ditta equalized in stoppage time. In the penalty shootout, Mazatlan won 3-1.
The Colorado Rapids advanced with a 2-1 home win over Toluca. Brazilian forward Rafael Navarro scored for Colorado in the 45th minute, but Portuguese striker Paulinho equalized in the 83rd minute, setting up American Darren Yapi’s winner in the sixth minute of stoppage time.
Next for Colorado is a Saturday quarter-final against Mexican champions Club America, who won 4-2 at St. Louis. Uruguay’s Brian Rodriguez scored twice for Club America, including a penalty in the 86th minute, while Chilean striker Diego Valdes equalized in the 79th minute. Club America added another goal in stoppage time to seal the win.
Host LAFC beat San Jose 4-1 to secure a Saturday quarter-final against Seattle. LAFC’s Cristian Olivera opened the scoring in the 17th minute, but Hernan Lopez equalized for San Jose in the 41st. Gabon’s Denis Bouanga converted a penalty in stoppage time for a 2-1 LAFC lead at halftime. Poland’s Mateusz Bogusz and Bouanga added goals in the second half to give LAFC a comfortable 4-1 win. French striker Olivier Giroud made his LAFC debut in the 71st minute after joining from AC Milan in May.
