Inter Miami triumphed 3-1 against the reigning Major League Soccer champions LAFC on Sunday night at BMO Stadium, as goals from Facundo Farias, Leonardo Campana and Jordi Alba propel the Herons one step closer to a playoff slot.
LAFC kicked off stronger, easily weaving through Inter Miami’s backline of five to test goalkeeper Drake Callendar. But it only took the Heron’s one opportunity to find the back of the net, as Farias connected with Tomas Aviles on the right to reach the box and send the ball to the lower left corner.
Denis Bouanga continued to lead LAFC’s attack following the opening goal, leaving Callendar to make two great saves. Despite constant efforts by the home team, Inter Miami held the lead at halftime.
And the Herons wasted no time after the second whistle. Left back Alba quickly doubled the lead, finding himself in a 1v1 situation with LAFC goalkeeper John McCarthy before striking the ball to the opposite corner.
Finally, Campana topped off the score with an 81st minute goal with a left-footed shot into the lower left corner. The Ecuadorian player strengthened his connection with Lionel Messi once again, connecting within the box after a phenomenal run by the Argentinian figure.
LAFC managed to draw one back in the final minute of the match, as defender Ryan Hollingshead headed the ball into the net off of a corner but the efforts were not enough to earn a point against the Herons.
Inter Miami player ratings (5-3-2)
GK: Drake Callender - 8/10 - Constantly absorbed the pressure from LAFC's frontline, making a couple of great saves but fumbled the last minute goal to lose the clean sheet.
RB: DeAndre Yedlin - 7/10 - Not convinced by any defensive efforts. Better at pushing forward than maitaining a strong backline.
CB: Tomás Avilés - 6.5/10 - Provided the assist on the first goal, but made several defensive errors that could've cost Miami the clean sheet.
CB: Serhiy Kryvstov - 6/10 - Flimsy. Cannot lead a line of defense.
CB: Kamal Miller - 6/10 - Too easily beat by LAFC.
LB: Jordi Alba - 9.5/10 - Questionable on defense throughout the first half, but scored a goal in the second half to double the lead. A great 1v1 display against LAFC goalkeeper McCarthy.
CM: Diego Gómez - 6/10 - Completely absent.
CM: Sergio Busquets - 7/10 - A standard performance at this point, neither helped tremendously nor hindered.
CM: Benjamin Cremaschi - 7/10 - Somewhat absent from tonight's action. Granted the ball wasn't in Miami's midfield much, but the player failed to break out of the mold to generate any opportunities.
ST: Lionel Messi - 8/10 - Quite for the majority match before assisting Campana with the team's third goal.
ST: Facundo Farías - 8/10 - Scored his first MLS goal for Inter Miami before testing McCarthy a couple more times. But needs to work on precision.
Substitutes
ST: Leonardo Campana (73' for Farias) - 10/10 - Came off the bench to score.
CM: Dixon Arroyo (73' for Cremaschi) - 4/10 - Terrible defending in LAFC's only goal.
LB: Noah Allen (81' for Alba) - N/A
CM: Victor Ulloa ('85 for Gomez) - N/A
Manager
Gerardo 'Tata' Martino - 6.5/10 - A decent victory with no thanks to the starting 11. He rotated the lineup, shockingly leaving both Campana and Josef Martinez on the bench to try something with Farias and Messi as strikers. Simply does not capitalize on the team's full potential.
Player of the match - Lionel Messi (Inter Miami)
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This article was originally published on 90min as LAFC 1-3 Inter Miami: Player ratings as the Herons triumph over reigning MLS champions .