Inter Miami 2-3 NYCFC - Match Recap

Head Coach Ronny Deila made two changes to his lineup for the first match in another three-game week, bringing Sebastien Ibeagha in for the suspended Alex Callens and Jesus Medina in for Ismael Tajouri-Shradi on the wing.

Inter Miami had added Gonzalo Higuain and Blaise Matuidi to their ranks since NYCFC edged the teams’ last meeting 1-0 back in the MLS is Back Tournament bubble, but this time there would be a lot more goalscoring – starting early.

Fresh from setting a new team record for earliest goal vs. FC Cincinnati last time out, Alexandru Mitriță signalled his intent early in this one, scoring with just four minutes on the clock, arriving onto a raking long pass from Alex Ring to half volley home on the stretch.

Inter Miami responded to the setback well and had threatened the equalizer before they hit back on 27’ through the impressive Lewis Morgan as the Scot scored the first of his two first half goals to make it 1-1, before Tinnerholm delivered yet another stunning goal – his fourth of the season – slamming into the corner with his left foot to make it 2-1 on 35’.

The goalscoring wasn’t over there, with Morgan piling in a second stunning equalizer with an arcing strike into the top corner just two minutes later, cutting City’s celebrations short.

However, Deila’s side would go into the halftime break with their noses ahead, taking the lead for the third time just before the whistle thanks to Mitriță’s second goal: an individual strike from Mitri as the Romanian ran more than half the length of the pitch and saw his deflected shot wrongfoot the goalkeeper and find the net.

Coming back out for the second half with a 3-2 lead, NYC continued to show well in the duels across the pitch in more of an attritional second half.

Although Miami enjoyed a lot of the ball after the break, they were limited to very few clear looks on goal by a strong defensive effort from the visiting team.

Inter Miami had thought they’d equalized very late on in the match when Julian Carranza turned in Higuain’s cross, but VAR intervened and correctly determined that he was offside.

Following that decision, monsoon-like conditions greeted the closing stages of the match with rains pouring down and affecting the flow of the back and forth, helping NYC in their quest to close down the match and return home with a very pleasing and not undeserved three points.