Nacho Garcia
Sports Writing (USA), 30 September. – Inter Miami confirmed their brilliant moment on Friday in Toronto, scoring a late goal by Gonzalo Higuain (1-0) and thanks to Alejandro Pozuelo on his return to BMO Stadium. .
Alejandro Pozuelo returned to what had been his home for three years to measure himself “in the pink” against a team, Toronto FC, which he won the MLS MVP award in 2020. He had already played against his knockouts in the first leg in Miami. On August 20 (2-1 in favor of Inter).
The Spanish midfielder finished the first half of the season with the Canadian national team, who played up to 16 matches, during which he scored four goals and four assists. Without a doubt, one of the footballers beloved by the fans and his teammates, as was evident in the warm-up and post-match.
In the first part, the ball belonged to Phil Neville’s team, but in a confrontation where equality prevailed. A two-way match, with more preparation for Inter and more verticality for the host, Toronto, in fact, the team that had the clearest in the first forty-five minutes.
It was clear that the balance would be unbalanced by one of the important players for both attacks. Good contribution from the Italian Federico Bernardeschi who knew how to connect and initiate dangerous actions with the Spaniard Jesús Jiménez and also the Italian Lorenzo Insigne.
The former Napoli player in particular was the most visible, on the verge of the break when Canadian Mark Kay found him with a deep pass and risked trying to find, with his right leg and fall, the opposite team to win. caller.
He missed a bit over the bar and unsettled the Miami defenders. On this very clear occasion, the break was reached without goals and a tie between the two teams.
The lack of effectiveness was far from what happened a little over a month ago, when those same teams played the first leg at PNK DRV on August 20 with a 2-1 win for Florida, who scored all of their goals in the first half.
It was another match after the start of the second half, because Inter Miami went up, controlled a much larger vertical, and barely allowed Toronto to have chances against Callender.
Brazilian Jan Motta started early, hitting the ball in the cross from a direct free kick as soon as the second half started. Events began to arrive but the goal prevented the Florida team.
Ecuadorean Leonardo Campana also missed a one-on-one match with the goalkeeper after twenty minutes of the second, and Pozuelo had given him a gift in the form of an assist that he could not complete and sent to the stands. This would be the last thing he would do in the match as he was immediately replaced by Finn Robert Taylor.
Taylor also did not guarantee the goal when he entered, because only a few minutes later he had another, more obvious goal as he hit the ball at the feet of the goalkeeper. Once again, it was Pozuelo who made a luxurious pass, leading Miami’s best minutes that generate plenty of danger but with the gunpowder of his attackers totally wet.
Finally it was Gonzalo Higuain who did justice to what was seen on the field, the Argentine received the ball on the edge of the area and after a trick leveled the ball towards his left leg to finish it with a cross shot and beat low Westberg. . There were only three minutes left to the conclusion, and the margin of reaction for Toronto was not enough.
It is Higuain’s 14th goal this season, 12 of them in the second half of the season since July. It is also his fifth goal in his last four matches, emerging as a key player in his team’s reaction in this last race to earn a place in the playoff.
With this win, Inter Miami reach 45 points and equalizes Orlando City for sixth place East (with one more game). This is the third consecutive victory for the Neville men and with two home games remaining (Orlando and Montreal), they are counting on themselves for post-season play.
Toronto confirms its bad moment with a fourth straight loss and faces recent matches with little incentive and the questionable honor of not being the last seeded East.
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Game sheet:
0. Toronto FC: Westberg; Laria, O’Neill, Mavinga, Crishito; Kerr (Nelson, d. 46), Bradley, Kay; Bernardeschi, Jesús Jiménez (Akinola, m.73) and Insigne (Achara, m.72).
1. Inter Miami: Callender. Yadlin, Lowe; Mabeka, McPhee; Gregor, Motta, Duke (Lasseter, d. 69); Pozuelo (Ulua, AD 88), Campana (Taylor, AD 69) and Higuain (Vasilev, AD 91).
Goals: 0-1, 86th minute: Gonzalo Higuain.
Referee: Silvio Petrescu (Canada). Show the yellow card to locals Insigne (M. 45), Bradley (M. 49) and Laria (M. 57), visitors to Campana (M. 32) and Gregor (M. 40).
Accidents: The match corresponding to the regular league, played at BMO Field in Toronto in front of nearly 20,000 spectators. EFE
ngd / am / ics
