Inter Miami defeated visiting Montreal 4-2 in Major League Soccer on Wednesday at Chase Stadium in Florida thanks to two goals apiece from star Argentina player Lionel Messi and his longtime friend Luis Suarez.
Miami took a 2-0 lead because of two goals from Messi in the 27th minute and Suarez’s first goal in the 68th minute.
Suarez added another goal in the 71st minute, and Dante Sealy, a winger for Montreal, answered in the 74th.
Midfielder Victor Loturi gave Montreal a response two minutes into stoppage time after Messi scored his second goal in the 87th minute, but the damage had already been done.
Miami’s victory put them in sixth place in the Eastern Conference with seven wins and five draws from 15 games, while Montreal’s one win, ten losses, and five draws kept them at the bottom.
In their last four games, Miami has lost twice and drawn once.
“We had to accept responsibility for the subpar outcomes. Regaining trust requires correction. The triumph is significant. After the victory, Suarez said, “We need to keep building our confidence in this type of game.”
The injuries to defenders Gonzalo Lujan, Tomas Aviles, and Jordi Alba worried Miami coach Javier Maschercherano.
“The bad dynamic has to end. I’m content. Unfortunately, Gonzalo, Jordi, and Toto’s departure taints the triumph,” Mascherano said.
“It was something muscular in Gonzalo and Jordi’s situation, and we’ll see how far it goes tomorrow. “Toto” had a stomping swelling in his ankle. “Perhaps he could go on,” Mascherano said.
After Norway’s Ola Brynhildsen scored in the 75th minute, the Union came back late to defeat Philadelphia, the overall leader in Major League Soccer, 2-1 in Toronto.
In a thrilling battle, Germany’s Kai Wagner scored the game-winning goal two minutes into stoppage time, but Union defender Nathan Harriel equalized in the 86th minute.
None of the three teams directly behind the Union in the standings were able to achieve full points, with third-place Nashville drawing 2-2 at fourth-place Columbus and second-place Cincinnati drawing 3-3 with visitor Dallas. The Union advanced to 10-3-3 for a league-high 33 points.
