Inter Miami maintain their unbeaten start with a win against Philadelphia

Inter Miami 2-1 Philadelphia Union

FORT LAUDERDALE, FL–Inter Miami extended their winning run to four games with a comfortable victory against closest rivals Philadelphia Union.

It was a flowing game, with both sides enjoying plenty of space without creating many chances. Fafa Picault came close after he hit the woodwork inside five minutes when Robert Taylor crossed perfectly for the winger, whose thumping header crashed off the upright.

Lionel Messi started the game on the bench, and he would have enjoyed watching his side strike first with a swift move down the left.

Inevitably, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba were at the heart of it as they combined to see the left-back rampage down the wing and cross to the far post, where Ben Cremaschi slid the ball perfectly to Taylor, who made no mistake from close range.

Philadelphia huffed and puffed their way throughout the first half, but they lacked any kind of real penetration. Any sniff at goal they did get were either half-chances or wasted opportunities, and they failed to test Oscar Ustari in the Miami goal.

While it was a close contest throughout in terms of goals, Inter was the stronger side and consistently looked more dangerous than the traveling side.

The Union did start the second half with a bit more purpose and looked like they might give the home side more of a challenge. However, any good intentions were undone after Messi was introduced soon after the restart.

As the away team started to apply pressure and pose a few problems, Miami won back possession and started their own counterattack that saw Messi receive the ball inside the penalty area. After only two minutes on the pitch, the Argentine scored with a low drive to the far post.

The Union responded by stepping up the intensity a little more, and they started to play their best football of the game. However, that pressure and intensity didn’t last long enough, and Miami soon began to take control of the game again and look comfortable.

However, the away side did get on the scoresheet when a Quinn Sullivan cross was perfectly dispatched by Daniel Gazdag, whose fine strike gave the Union a lifeline.

It was against the run of play in some respects, but it gave Philadelphia the lift they needed. They finally started to cause problems in the Miami penalty area and could have drawn level late on but for a desperate block by Ian Fray to protect the lead.

A late injury to Ustari saw Drake Callender enter the game, but the keeper wasn’t tested in the match’s final minutes, and Miami was happy to play out the last stages in relative comfort.

The keepers’ injury was the only blemish on coach Javier Mascherano’s day. However, he’ll be pleased with how his side controlled the game and made relatively light work of the visitors.

Despite the close scoreline, this was a comfortable win for Miami, who never looked troubled. They were able to rotate their squad and ease Messi back into action and now sit atop the table, unbeaten in the league.