A sliding Leo Campana smacks the soccer ball against the post after trying to chip the ball around Nashville FC goalkeeper Elliot Panicco. Campana misses the wide open goal and sends the Leagues Cup Final into a penalty shootout.
Overall, the open goal miss by Campana is quite a scene. Campana is so close to the game winner.
Sergio Busquets plays a genius long ball to Campana in extra time. The old man can still play! Exceptional vision and awareness by Busquets to find Campana with the pass. Watch how he controls the ball and sees Campana make a run in behind.
Shaq Moore, the Nashville FC defender who gets brushed aside by Campana on the breakaway, rushes back to try to clear the ball. But Moore actually gets tripped up by his own keeper, Panico, and ends up sprawled on the ground. He has to look on and hope that Campana will miss. I’m sure he didn’t think he would.
The goal was open for Campana entirely. The game in the balance. Also, don’t forget, the first trophy for Inter Miami and Lionel Messi is on the line. The video below jumps right to the Busquets long ball and the ensuing Campana open goal miss.
WHAT JUST HAPPENED?! 🤯 pic.twitter.com/1oWsikLLzk
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) August 20, 2023
However, Campana can’t feel too bad. Of course there have been worse open goal misses. However, this was a final. And Messi had scored an incredible whipped in shot into the upper corner.
Smartly, the cameras flash to Messi who just can’t believe it all. Watching Campana from afar he must have thought the game was over and he’d score. Messi appears almost in shock that Campana had missed.
If Inter Miami had lost, the Campana miss would have brought back flashes of Heguain nightmares to Messi. I truly believe that, look at Messi’s reaction. 😱
pic.twitter.com/rpuPRcMi31— FCB Albiceleste (@FCBAlbiceleste) August 20, 2023
Moreover, you can’t say Campana was tired or the like. He’d just come on the field. He replaced Josef Martínez in the 68th minute.
Additionally, how much pain would he have been in if Inter Miami didn’t go on and win in the penalty shootout. What a relief it must have been for him.
Campana would convert his penalty with a left footed shot to the bottom corner. He deserves credit for that! If he’d missed his penalty and the open goal breakaway chance? That would have been doubly painful and too much to bear.
Lastly, the funny thing is, Campanna knows how to chip the keeper. He is just better at it from a long ways out.