Despite missing star player Lionel Messi and having two men sent off, Inter Miami pulled off a dramatic late victory over Philadelphia Union. David Beckham’s team, currently enjoying a stellar season, managed to secure a 2-1 win without their World Cup winner on the field.
With Messi away on international duty with Argentina, Inter Miami faced a challenging match against their Eastern Conference rivals. The night seemed to turn disastrous as both David Ruiz and Tomas Aviles were sent off with second yellow cards. However, rookie Leo Afonso, recently promoted from the academy, scored his first goal for the team in the fourth minute of second-half stoppage time, sealing the victory and stunning the home crowd.
The Union, missing top scorers Daniel Gazdag and Julian Carranza, took an early lead in the third minute through Mikael Uhre. Despite the initial struggles, Miami found an equalizer in the 47th minute thanks to Julian Gressel. Despite being down to nine men, Miami’s persistence paid off with Afonso’s last-minute winner, extending their lead at the top of the MLS Eastern Conference with 11 wins from 19 games.
