Messi-less Miami's playoff hopes fade afer 4-1 Chicago rout
By Dennis Tarus |
By AFP
Missing Lionel Messi again, Inter Miami's hopes of squeezing into the MLS playoffs suffered a
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body blow on Wednesday with a 4-1 defeat to Chicago Fire.
The defeat leaves Miami next to the bottom of the Eastern Conference and five points off the last
Playoff spot with just three games remaining and their destiny no longer in their own hands.
The prospect of seeing the Argentine World Cup winner in action drew a record home crowd
of 62,124 to Soldier Field in Chicago but with no Messi, it was Chicago's own diminutive
number ten who put on the show.
Swiss former Liverpool and Bayern Munich playmaker Xherdan Shaqiri scored twice with his
compatriot Maren Haile-Selassie also grabbing a brace.
Chicago's win strengthens their chances of making the post-season for the first time since
2017, moving them up to eighth place.
All the action came in the second half with Shaqiri opening the scoring four minutes after the
interval, finishing off a fine passing move with a left-foot shot at the back post.
Miami bounced back swiftly though with Josef Martinez converting a penalty after a handball
from Chicago defender Jonathan Dean.
Miami then had two great chances to take the lead but both Facundo Farias and Benjamin
Cremaschi put their shots wide from promising positions.
Chicago showed no such lenience in front of goal, however, snatching the lead in the 62nd
minute when substitute Haile-Selassie slotted home after being played in by Fabian Herbers.
Haile-Selassie struck again to make it 3-1 with Miami's back line slow to react to a cross from
the right from Ousmane Doumbia and then Shaqiri completed the rout with a smart finish
after he was put through by Gaston Gimenez.
"It's beautiful to see Soldier Field packed full for soccer games and I hope they're going to
come more and more because we showed today how good we are and the team spirit is
here," said Shaqiri.
"We needed that win obviously and every game now is a final. We suffered, of course, we saw
the quality of Inter Miami but we knew also they had some problems in counter-attack. It was
a perfect night for us," added the 31-year-old.
Charlotte kept their post-season hopes alive with a 3-0 win over the East's bottom club
Toronto with two first-half penalties from Polish forward Karol Swiderski.
Although the North Carolina side are in 13th place, they are just two points behind Montreal,
who occupy ninth place, the last playoff spot in the East.
The New York Red Bulls kept themselves in contention with a 2-1 win at Eastern Conference
leaders Cincinnati.
Cincinnati had already secured the top seed in the playoffs and the home-field advantage
that brings and having started with several key players on the bench they fell behind to early
goals from Frankle Amaya and Elias Monoel before Luciano Acosta, on as a sub, got them
back in the game with a 68th-minute penalty.
D.C United's playoff hopes faded further with Wayne Rooney's team suffering a 3-0 loss at
Austin, a win which keeps the Texan side in contention for a post-season berth in the West.
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