A goal from Leo Afonso in injury time helped nine-man Inter Miami to a 2-1 comeback victory over Philadelphia Union in Major League Soccer.
This is how the game went
It was a nightmare start to the away game for the Herons, as they conceded the first goal again after a lapse in concentration in defence. This made things even more difficult as they were already without Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Matias Rojas, with the trio preparing for the Copa America.
Veteran defender Jakob Glesnes grabbed a loose ball in the Union half and cracked the Miami defense with a perfect pass into the path of Mikael Uhre. Uhre made no mistake after racing past Tomas Aviles and Serhiy Kryvtsov to give the hosts the lead in the third minute.
Miami fought back as the first half wore on but couldn’t equalize, having only two shots on goal in the entire first half. A crucial block by Marcelo Weigandt prevented a sure goal from Quinn Sullivan from just a few yards out as Union applied pressure throughout the first 45 minutes.
Much like the first half, the second 45 minutes began with a goal a few minutes after the restart. After patient build-up play on the left by the Herons with Jordi Alba and Leo Campana, the ball finally found Benjamin Cremaschi, who set up Julian Gressel. Gressel – who was filling in on the right wing in Messi’s absence – received the ball and sent a powerful volley into the top corner to level the scores.
From that point on, the Herons launched one attack after another and came close to taking the lead on a few occasions. Things got a little dicey, however, when midfielder David Ruiz received a second yellow card for a hasty and careless foul on Leon Flach with just under 20 minutes left.
Then things got even worse for the visitors. Tomas Aviles – who already had a yellow card – deflected a loose ball out of play and then kicked it away from a Philadelphia player who was about to take the ensuing throw-in. Referee Ismir Pekmic didn’t hesitate to show the young defender a second yellow card, and that meant Miami had to play the final five minutes plus stoppage time with nine players.
Just when all hope seemed lost for Miami, substitute Leo Afonso stepped up in the 94th minute and scored a goal that put Miami ahead for the first time of the night. Afonso found himself alone in front of Oliver Semmle after passing to Glesnes and the young winger finished effortlessly to put the nine-man Herons ahead with just minutes to go.
Miami took all three points, the biggest win imaginable. But three points are three points and Gerardo “Tata” Martino’s team remains at the top of the Eastern Conference with 38 points from 19 games.
Goalkeeper: Drake Callender – 6/10 – After conceding the goal early in the game, there wasn’t much he could do and, to be fair, there wasn’t much more he could have done to prevent Uhre from scoring the first goal.
RB: Marcelo Weigandt – 7/10- Although he is not known for his defensive skills, he made a huge block on Sullivan, preventing the Herons from falling further behind in the first half.
Centre-back: Tomas Aviles – 4/10 – Even the speedy Aviles couldn’t keep up with Uhre in the early stages. His positioning wasn’t bad, but he seemed to be surprised by Glesnes’ pass. He made things worse for his team by getting sent off himself, leaving them with nine players on the pitch.
CB: Serhiy Kryvtsov – 5/10 – It wasn’t exactly the veteran’s best performance in defense. Union’s attackers had a lot of fun in the final third, as he and Aviles weren’t at their best that evening.
LB: Jordi Alba – 6/10 – Nothing special defensively, but his performance and combination play in the final third were solid.
CM: David Ruiz – 4/10 – An average performance by the Honduran international turned into a below-average performance after his sending off.
CM: Sergio Busquets – 7/10 – Apart from a few unpleasant moments in possession, overall solid.
CM: Benjamin Cremaschi – 7/10 – He got off to a bad start and was completely confused with his touch on the ball. However, as the game went on, he seemed to get into better form and set up the equaliser.
RW: Julian Gressel – 8/10 – With Miami’s first striker unavailable due to international duty, Gressel moved into the offensive and felt much more comfortable on the wing compared to his recent appearances in midfield.
ST: Leo Campana – 7/10 – Played a strong game that we have seen before and played a key role in getting the Herons back on level terms in the second half.
LW: Robert Taylor – 6/10 – Was rather ineffective in the first half, but was able to shift up a gear in the second 45 minutes.
Substitute
SUBL Yannick Bright (78′ for Taylor) – 7/10 – With a brilliant move, he set up Afonso’s last-minute goal.
SUBSTITUTION: Ryan Sailor (88′ for Gressel) – N/A
SUBSTITUTION: Noah Allen (89′ for Kryvtsov) – N/A
SUBSTITUTION: Leo Afonso (90. for Campana) – 8/10 – What a moment for Afonso. He has performed well for Miami whenever he has been called upon this season, but his goal against the Union could be a deciding factor in Miami winning the Supporters’ Shield in October.
Substitute: Franco Negri (90th minute for Cremaschi) – not available
Manager
Gerardo “Tata” Martino – 6/10 – It wasn’t a perfect performance from his team, which finished the game with nine players, but his move to bring on Afonso will now look like a stroke of genius. Still, it wasn’t a great performance and although Miami is missing key players, they still have enough quality to put up a better performance than they did against Philadelphia.