Vancouver Whitecaps 2-0 Inter Miami: White & Berhalter help host lead in 1st-leg

Whitecaps take advantage over Inter Miami in the first leg of the CONCACAF Champions Cup semi-final.

Match Raport

Inter Miami need a second-leg turnaround if they are to reach the Champions Cup final following a 2-0 defeat to the Vancouver Whitecaps.

Lionel Messi and his fellow superstars were well beaten on Thursday, as Vancouver put on a show in front of a club-record crowd at BC Place.

Brian White capped a brilliant team move with a close-range header to put Vancouver, who are enjoying their best ever start to an MLS campaign, ahead in the 24th minute.

Messi arrowed a strike down the throat of Vancouver goalkeeper Yohei Takaoka soon after, though that was one of just two saves the home shot-stopper had to make as Miami were limited to little in the way of clear-cut chances.

And Vancouver got the second goal their performance merited with five minutes of normal time remaining, as Sebastian Berhalter slammed home from inside the area.

Miami will now look to overturn the deficit in next week's second leg, for which they will at least have home advantage.

Data Debrief: Whitecaps surge on

Vancouver are flying high at the top of MLS' Western Conference, but this was their biggest win of the season so far.

They limited Messi and the rest of Miami's star-studded line-up to just two shots on target (both from Messi) and 0.53 expected goals.

Vancouver were clinical going the other way, hitting the target with five of their nine shots and creating chances worth 1.17 xG.

Jesper Sorensen's team did not need much of the ball, either. They only had 31% of the possession, while Miami attempted 691 passes to their 307, but Vancouver came up big when it mattered as they extended their Champions Cup scoring streak to seven games.

Match Events

0' The match is about to start!

8' Highlight from Vancouver Whitecaps vs Inter Miami CF

12' Match Event for Vancouver Whitecaps vs Inter Miami CF

20' Match Event for Vancouver Whitecaps vs Inter Miami CF

22' Match Event for Vancouver Whitecaps vs Inter Miami CF

24' GOAL! Vancouver Whitecaps 1-0 Inter Miami CF (Brian White)

29' Highlight from Vancouver Whitecaps vs Inter Miami CF

36' Highlight from Vancouver Whitecaps vs Inter Miami CF

48' Match Event for Vancouver Whitecaps vs Inter Miami CF

64' Highlight from Vancouver Whitecaps vs Inter Miami CF

71' Highlight from Vancouver Whitecaps vs Inter Miami CF

85' GOAL! Vancouver Whitecaps 2-0 Inter Miami CF (Sebastian Berhalter)

Line-ups

Vancouver Whitecaps XI: Yohei Takaoka, Andrés Cubas, Daniel Ríos, Tristan Blackmon, Ranko Veselinović, Brian White, Pedro Vite, Sebastian Berhalter, Edier Ocampo, Tate Johnson, Ali Ahmed

Subs: Damir Kreilach, Bjørn Inge Utvik, Sam Adekugbe, Adrián Zendejas, Emmanuel Sabbi, J.C. Ngando, Jayden Nelson, Ralph Priso, Belal Halbouni, Isaac Boehmer, Giuseppe Bovalina, Jeevan Badwal

Inter Miami CF XI: Óscar Ustari, Messi, Suarez, Alba, Busquets, Maximiliano Falcón, Marcelo Weigandt, Telasco Segovia, Tadeo Allende, Noah Allen, Federico Redondo

Subs: Fafà Picault, David Martínez, Drake Callender, Gonzalo Luján, Ian Fray, Allen Obando, Benja Cremaschi, Tomás Avilés, Santiago Morales, Yannick Bright, Leo Afonso