Real Salt Lake learned a harsh lesson on Wednesday night: there are nights when you can do almost everything right against Inter Miami but, on some of those nights, it simply won't matter. Sometimes, starpower simply takes over.
That's what happened in Utah on Wednesday night as Inter Miami escaped with a 2-0 win. You wouldn't know it by the scoreline, but escaped is the right way to describe it. For large stretches, Inter Miami were up against it and being run ragged by Diego Luna and Zavier Gozo. They survived those moments and then, with time winding down, took advantage of their own.
The first moment came from out of nowhere. It came in the 82nd minute, and it came from the foot of Miami's midfield star, Rodrigo De Paul, who, to that point, had been struggling. Then, with his missile of a shot from outside the box, the Argentine turned the game on its head, giving the Herons a 1-0 lead they would never relinquish.
Luis Suarez came off the bench to add another, though, just in case. For as pretty as De Paul's long-range goal was, Suarez's might have been even prettier. His fantastic volley came just two minutes after De Paul's opener, sealing three points that, for a while, looked unlikely.
For RSL, this will feel like a missed opportunity. For Miami, it'll feel like another one of those nights where pure quality makes all the difference.
GOAL rates Inter Miami's players from America First Stadium...
