Inter Miami, led by Argentine star Lionel Messi, defeated Philadelphia 6-4 at the end of tonight’s match at Nu Stadium, for the fifteenth round of Major League Soccer, the top tier of American soccer.
According to the Argentine News Agency, the home team secured the victory with a brace from striker Germán Berterame, a hat trick from the unforgettable striker Luis Suárez, and a goal from Argentine midfielder Rodrigo De Paul. For the visitors, striker Milan Iloski scored three times, and Uruguayan Bruno Damiani also found the net.
With this win, the team in pink jerseys remains in second place in the MLS Eastern Conference with 31 points, while their opponent continues in last place with seven points after 15 rounds.
The visitors started with a high level of attacking play and took a 2-0 lead within the first 10 minutes: after an excellent combination down the right flank that ended with Alioski’s first goal, the striker converted a penalty in the third minute, scoring again in the ninth minute.
Although the home side managed to pull one back in the 12th minute, with a cutback from Messi that Berterame tapped in from the left side of the box, just six minutes later Damiani pounced on a short rebound from goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair and slotted it home first-time.
In the final 15 minutes of the first half, Inter Miami took the lead. With another goal in the 29th minute, a chest control and scissor kick from Suárez, the “Herons” equalized in the 41st minute with a shot from Berterame to the far post. They then went ahead two minutes later when the Uruguayan striker, nicknamed “El Pistolero,” tapped in a rebound after goalkeeper Andre Blake parried the initial shot.
However, the game went into halftime tied after Alioski scored his third goal, another penalty, curling the ball into the top left corner of the Canadian goalkeeper’s net.
In the second half, in the 35th minute, Germán Berterame found himself one-on-one with the opposing goalkeeper. After missing his first attempt, he controlled the rebound and passed to the left for the ever-reliable Luis Suárez to finish, making it 5-4.
In the second minute of stoppage time came the goal from Argentine Rodrigo De Paul, World Champion and two-time Copa América champion, who received the ball on the right side of the area and crossed a low shot, to make it 6-4 on his 32nd birthday.
