By Aveenash Sekhar
Chicago Fire FC poured more salt into Inter Miami's wounds as the latter's terrible streak continued after confronting another 3-1 defeat with a brace from Jhon Duran and Xherdan Shaqiri while Higuain was the lone goal scorer for the visiting side at the Toyota Park.
Chicago’s head coach Ezra Hendrickson made a few changes to his who were goalless from two back-to-back games, with the recent being New England stuck with his 4-2-3-1 formation. With the substitution of Czichos for Bornstein at centre back, Slonina remained unaffected. Navarro and Pineda teamed in midfield, and Shaqiri, a former Liverpool player, played in his favoured number 10 position behind Duran.
Inter Miami boss Phil Neville chose to tweak his side as well, who suffered a defeat a 1-0 to Columbus, tweaked his formation from 5-2-3-1 to a 4-2-3-1 with a back that read Yedlin, McVey, Saitor, and Gibbs as Marsman stayed in goal. Mota and Gregore were in midfield along with Vassilev, Pozuelo and Taylor, whilst Higuain played up front as a number.
First Half Analysis
The home side were on the front foot by imposing their authority on the match. In the 12th minute, Sekulic struck the woodwork from a corner kick and spotted the lapse in concentration from the Miami defence. A few minutes later, Pineda dribbled past Yedlin and squared it into Duran, whose shot was inches out from the goal.
In the 30th, the little magician Shaqiri got into the act when Gutierrez had to chest the ball into as the former received it on the half volley, turned his way through and struck the ball with his left foot, which led to a deflection.
Inter Miami's best possible opportunity was there for the taking in the 36th minute. Higuain did well to get past the Chicago defender and played Pozuelo on the right wing as the Spaniard’s low cross was inches away from Vassilev, whose sliding effort to reach for the ball was in vain.
The home went ahead when Shaqiri dribbled his way to find Gutierrez on the right as the latter found an overlapping run from Sekulic, whose cross helped its way to a powerful header from Duran. A towering header from the striker as the home side lead in the 39th minute.
As the first half drew a close, both sides appeared to have knocked on the door. However, the home side looked far more aggressive and showed intent with a well-deserved goal.
HT: Chicago Fire FC 1 – 0 Inter Miami
Second Half Analysis
As soon as Inter Miami's defence missed a passing opportunity, Duran tried to capitalise. However, goalie Marsman easily stopped Duran's left-footed shot.
In the 50th minute, Gutierrez got a clever first touch and dribbled past Sailor as he looked to find Duran. However, McVey did well to get ahead of him to clear it out of danger. The home side continued to attack down the right channel by adding more pressure on former Arsenal man and left-back Kieran Gibbs. This time it was Pineda who got past the French man as his floating cross found Shaqiri, whose left-footed volley blazed its way through the net. A stunning goal in the 64th minute made it 2-0, and the home side looked as comfortable as ever.
Against the run of play, Inter Miami was awarded a penalty when Pozuelo was brought down in the box, and the referee had no hesitation there. Higuain stepped away, and the former Real Madrid man calmly slotted the ball in the back of the net to give the home side 13 minutes to play and his tenth goal of the season.
However, none of this seems to have fazed Chicago and the home crowd. The men in blue continued to dominate press higher up the pitch to rattle the Inter Miami defence. The home side managed to capitalise on Inter Miami's poor defensive work rate, as Navarro intercepted a poor pass and found a surging run from Duran, the latter dribbled his way through with a solo run as the Colombian put the game to bed with a calm finish in the 87th minute.
Inter Miami remained in ninth place when the referee blew the final whistle. But Chicago Fire FC, previously in 12th place, suddenly felt they could cut the gap at the top of the table given that only three points were separating them from New England in eighth place.
FT: Chicago Fire FC 3 – 1 Inter Miami.
Line-Ups
Chicago Fire FC: (4-2-3-1 formation): G. Slonina (goalkeeper), B. Sekulic, C. Teran, R. Czichos, M. Navarro, F. Navarro, M. Pineda, B. Gutierrez, X. Shaqiri (1), C. M. Mueller, J. Duran (2).
Substitutes: J. Bornstein, J. Espinoza, V. Bezerra, A. Reynolds II/.
Inter Miami: (4-2-3-1 formation): N. Marsman (goalkeeper), D. Yedlin, C. McVey, R. Sailor, K. Gibbs, Gregore, J. Mota, I. Vassilev, A. Pozuelo, R. Taylor, G. Higuain (1).
Substitutes: A. Lassiter, B. Duke, J. Jones.
MATCH STATS
Lionel Messi’s agent refutes claims of Inter Miami stake purchase and a potential move
LAFC 2 – 1 Seattle Sounders – Bale and Chiellini Win on Home Debut for the Black and Gold
Summer 2022: A summer of the overhaul for Tottenham that should send fans, and opposition frenetic
How Man City could line up Erling Haaland and Kalvin Phillips with their current squad
An active transfer window to fire Sparta Rotterdam up on the Eredivisie table
Barcelona have made a significant stride forward with the signing of Jules Kounde
Chelsea Eyeing Villareal defender Pau Torres for a £50m Move: Good choice for Tuchel?
From Haaland’s double score to Ten Hag’s debut defeat- Here’s all from the first week of Premier League
Alex Telles ‘didn’t think twice’ before leaving Man United and joining Sevilla FC
Barcelona, Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid join race for RB Salzburg’s Benjamin Sesko
Nottingham Forest’s promotion, Arsenal’s win, Aston Villa’s defeat- all from the first week of Premier League
Sevilla fc winger Oussama Idrissi returns to dutch league for another season
Manchester City, Arsenal, and Aston Villa win big in the second week of the Premier League
From Fulham’s win to Tuchel and Conte’s public feud- all the drama from the second week of Premier League 2022
Grand Prix Badminton League 2022: Sharks & Bulls score thrilling wins, face-off with Wolves & Falcons confirmed
How is SL Benfica Academy so successful at producing and developing young talent
Why Brandon Vázquez should be in the USMNT squad for the World Cup in Qatar this winter
Sebastian Driussi, the striker who lifted Austin FC to unthinkable heights
Liverpool, Chelsea, Manchester City- big names that disappointed in the third week of the Premier League
Spurs, Crystal Palace, and Fulham win big in the third week of the Premier League
Real Salt Lake breaking new ground with their purchase of 18-year-old USYNT playmaker Diego Luna
LAFC midfielder José Cifuentes: Transfer target for Premier League's Brighton
Haaland scores a hat-trick; Liverpool thrash Bournemouth 9-0: All from the fourth week of Premier League
Punk-Moxley set for a rematch to claim AEW World Championship: AEW Dynamite Recap
Chelsea, Crystal Palace, and Aston Villa fail to impress in the fourth week of the Premier League
Anthony Gordon: Merseyside’s latest boy wonder on the verge of a breakthrough
City Win Big, Liverpool Squeak Through And Arsenal Win Again In Match Week Five Of The Premier League
Jesus Ferreira-Alan Velasco-Paul Arriola: Best attacking trio in the MLS?
DP Asia Cup 2022 Review- Pakistan vs Hong Kong: Pak wins big against Hong Kong
Manchester United, Chelsea, and Brentford win in the sixth week of the Premier League
Arsenal, Fulham, Leicester, and Southampton fail to impress in the sixth week of the Premier League
Carlos Alcaraz becomes the youngest US Open Champion after defeating Casper Ruud in the finale
Denis Bouanga: Will LAFC’s latest acquisition solidify the MLS Cup title for the team?
Aaron Hickey: The Golden Boy Nominee Ready To Light Up The Premier League
Brennan Johnson: The next superstar striker with the potential to play for big clubs
EPL Review: Haaland at it again, A sigh of relief for Gerrard, and Chaos at the City Ground
Comments