Inter Miami CF showed their resilience and quality as they crushed Sporting Kansas City 3-2 in a thrilling Major League Soccer match on Saturday night. The hosts fought against eminent loss to secure their fourth consecutive win, despite missing their star player Lionel Messi and seven other regulars who were on international duty.
The match, played at DRV PNK Stadium in Lauderdale, Florida, had a lot of show and fervor, with five goals, two penalties, four substitutions, and four yellow cards. Inter Miami needed to beat an early setback, as Sporting KC started to lead the pack in the ninth minute through Daniel Salloi, who scored his 13th goal of the season with a low shot from inside the box.
In any case, Inter Miami didn’t lose their composure and retaliated with a punishment goal in the 25th minute. Leonardo Campana, who drove the line in Messi’s absence, changed over from the spot after he was fouled by Andreu Fontas in the area. Campana then multiplied his count and gave Inter Miami the lead just before halftime, with a strong header from a cross by DeAndre Yedlin.
Inter Miami continued their energy in the second half and stretched out their lead to 3-1 in the 60th minute. Facundo Farias, who was making his first MLS start, scored his first MLS goal with a sharp finish from a pass by Nicolas Stefanelli. Farias was one of the standout performers for Inter Miami, alongside Campana and goalkeeper Nick Marsman, who made several critical saves.
Sporting KC didn’t surrender and attempted to mount a rebound in the final stages of the game. They diminished the shortfall to 3-2 in the 78th minute, when Alan Pulido scored with a header from a corner by Johnny Russell. Pulido almost leveled in stoppage time, however his shot was obstructed by Marsman.
The final whistle affirmed Inter Miami’s exceptional triumph, which lifted them to ninth place in the Eastern Conference standings, just three points behind the playoff zone. Sporting KC, in the mean time, remained in third place in the Western Conference, however missed an opportunity to close the hole with the leaders Seattle Sounders and Colorado Rapids.
Inter Miami’s mentor Gerardo Martino praised his group’s presentation and spirit after the game. He said that they showed they can win without Messi, who has been instrumental in their new run of structure. Messi has scored 11 goals and given five assists in 11 games since joining Inter Miami in July. He was inaccessible for this coordinate because of his public group commitments with Argentina, who are playing two World Cup qualifiers this week.
“We as a whole know that when he is here, we are generally good,” Martino said in Spanish. “We are fit for winning any sort of match. That said — for a gathering of players which works exceptionally hard and are teammates of the best player in the world, when he doesn’t play it is uplifting for them knowing they can win.”
Campana, who scored his first two goals for Inter Miami since joining borrowed from Wolverhampton Wanderers in August, repeated his mentor’s sentiments. He said that Messi has instilled certainty and conviction among the players, and that they are presently on the correct way.
“Like I said (Friday), Leo’s absence was going to be felt,” Campana said in Spanish. “Yet, he has instilled so much certainty among the players. We accept now and understand what we are prepared to do. Extremely content with the result and the three points.”
Inter Miami will expect to continue their winning streak when they face Atlanta Joined FC next Saturday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Messi is supposed to return for that game, subsequent to playing for Argentina against Bolivia on Tuesday. Sporting KC will hope to return when they host Minnesota Joined FC next Sunday under Children’s Control Park.
