Okay so last night I was dead tired after fixing the damn garage door all afternoon. Barely remembered it was gameday til my buddy Dave blew up my phone screaming “TURN ON THE INTER MIAMI MATCH RIGHT NOW MAN”. Dude was practically having a stroke.
I scrambled for the remote like my life depended on it. Dropped it twice before finally getting Apple TV fired up. Saw that massive crowd at Huntington Bank Field and nearly choked. Sixty thousand people! Looked like the whole damn state of Ohio showed up. Could feel the buzz through the screen.
The Match Madness
First half kicked off and Columbus came out swinging hard. Those boys were everywhere:
- Gazdag firing rockets towards goal like a man possessed
- Arfsten zipping down the wing leaving tire marks
- My coffee going cold cause I was white-knuckling the armrest
Ustari in Miami’s net? Absolute wall. Made three crazy reflex saves before I finished my cold brew. Thought we were toast for sure.
Then BAM – 30th minute magic happened. Saw Suarez launch this ridiculous cross-field pass that landed perfectly on Weigandt’s foot. One touch BOOM – crosses it right where Cremaschi came diving through like a missile. Header so clean it barely ruffled the net. My couch cushions went airborne.
That kid Benjamin’s celebration? Pure unfiltered joy. Ran towards Miami fans like he’d just won the World Cup. Electric stuff.
Messi got his moment too later – ghosted past three defenders like they were practice cones. Shot skimmed the post and I swear my neighbors heard me yell. Columbus kept throwing bodies forward but couldn’t buy a goal. Rossis close-range whiff? My grandma woulda buried that.
Nail-Biting Finish
Last 15 minutes felt like actual torture. Columbus pressing like crazy. Almost lost it when Gazdag had that golden chance in stoppage time. Thought for sure he’d level it. Then bam – skies it over the bar like he was aiming for the bleachers. Ustari just nodded like “yall done yet?”
Final whistle blew and I collapsed back on the sofa. Took five full minutes before I could text Dave back. Just kept staring at that 0-1 scoreline soaking it in.
Aftermath thoughts? Miami’s defense deserves free steak dinners for life. Cremaschi’s obviously buying drinks wherever he goes tonight. And Messi? Didn’t score but his gravitational pull opened everything up. Watching em walk off still undefeated? Priceless.
