Messi stars as Inter Miami draw 2-2 at Philadelphia Union to end losing run | OneFootball

Inter Miami ended a three-match losing run with a 2-2 draw at Philadelphia Union on Saturday.

Lionel Messi created the opener on 21 minutes, chipping to Luis Suárez whose header teed up Dániel Pintér to score his first MLS goal. Five minutes later Messi cut in from the right and smashed past the goalkeeper. According to interheron.com, the point owed more to Philadelphia's wastefulness than Miami's control.

The hosts outshot the Herons 18-6. Miami are 11-3-6 on 39 points, Union 5-10-5 on 20.

Miami's midfield laboured, particularly before the break, struggling to win the ball and keep possession. Turnovers repeatedly invited Union breaks, and with sharper choices and execution it could have been a rout.

Tempers flared in second-half stoppage time. Yannick Bright and Cavan Sullivan were sent off for punching and grabbing after Ian Fray knocked Quinn Sullivan over and stepped across him as he tried to rise. Sullivan then tackled Fray and players from both sides joined in.

The draw also ended Philadelphia's four-match winning run against MLS opposition.

The creeping reliance on the dark arts feels unsportsmanlike and irritating, with niggly jabs, shoves and taunts from the likes of Suárez, Maxi Falcón, Rodrigo De Paul and, increasingly, Fray proving disappointing.

Source: interheron.com

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