It was chaos almost immediately. Miami fell behind 1-0 before they could settle, with Milan Iloski opening the scoring. Six minutes later, he made it 2-0. Miami looked overwhelmed early, but the Herons rarely need much encouragement to respond. German Berterame pulled one back after 13 minutes, finishing a clever Lionel Messi cutback.
Miami’s defensive struggles, however, continued. Bruno Damiani restored Philadelphia’s two-goal advantage, finishing a flowing move sparked by the always-dangerous Cavan Sullivan. Then Miami answered again. Suarez made it 3-2 from another Messi assist before Berterame equalized shortly after. There was still time for more drama, with Suarez scoring his second just before halftime to give Miami a 4-3 lead.
That still was not enough to put the Union away. Miami gifted Philadelphia a fourth goal through a needless handball that led to a penalty, which Iloski converted confidently. The second half was calmer. Philadelphia threatened early through Sullivan, but the pace slowed after he was substituted. Miami then suffered a scare when Messi signaled for a substitution after grabbing the back of his left leg.
Still, Miami continued to attack. Mateo Silvetti, Messi’s replacement, helped seal the match. He played a decisive pass in the buildup to the fifth goal, finished by Suarez, before setting up the sixth with a calm layoff for Rodrigo De Paul, who capped a chaotic night with a stoppage-time finish.
This was chaos, and perhaps not the kind Miami prefer. But they will no doubt take the win.
GOAL rates Inter Miami's players from Nu Stadium...
