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'It’s the kind of leader he is' - Leo Campana reveals how Lionel Messi's half-time speech inspired Inter Miami to victory in US Open Cup

Leo Campana has spilled the beans on how Lionel Messi's inspirational team talk fired Inter Miami to victory in the US Open Cup.

Campana hailed leader Messi
Forward motivated team-mates during the break
Inter Miami clinched dramatic win in penalties

WHAT HAPPENED? Just when it seemed that Messi magic was on the wane for Inter Miami, the Argentine forward rose to the occasion and set up Campana in the 97th minute against Cincinnati to force extra time. In a match where the Herons found themselves trailing until the dying embers, they showed incredible character to turn the fixture around and clinch it in penalties.

After the match, Campana revealed the secret to the comeback and hailed Messi for his leadership qualities as the Argentine rallied his team-mates with a motivational talk at the end of the first half of extra time.

WHAT THEY SAID: “He [Messi] told us to have faith,” Campana said after the match.

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“He told us that we were going to win. That after all the work we’d done on the field, that we would never fail. It’s the kind of leader he is — he wants to speak in every game, every training, every championship match.”

THE BIGGER PICTURE: Miami have had some nervy moments in the past few games but in almost every match a few moments of Messi magic have come to the rescue. On Wednesday, it followed the same course with the Herons registering a US Open Cup final berth riding on the heroics of their Argentine talisman.