Riquelme Fillipi’s first goal for Inter Miami salvaged a 2-2 draw with visiting FC Cincinnati on Wednesday after a wild finish in which the sides scored three of the match’s four goals in the final 15 minutes.
Kenji Mboma Dem and Samuel Gidi scored in the 80th and 86th minutes, respectively, to put FC Cincinnati (11-11-10, 43 points) ahead 2-1 after falling behind 1-0 in the 61st minute on a goal by Luis Suarez.
However, Fillipi snuck home a shot into the bottom right corner and past Cincinnati keeper Roman Celentano to level the match in the 90th minute.
The result was not great for Inter Miami (15-6-11, 56 points), which fell two points behind the New England Revolution for second place in the Eastern Conference with two matches left to play.
For a minute after Gidi’s go-ahead goal, FC Cincinnati were in position to clinch a postseason berth had they hung for a win and Columbus lost to FC Dallas on Wednesday.
Cincinnati moved closer to clinching but will have to wait until its next match on Saturday against the visiting Philadelphia Union.
After a defensively dominated first half in which neither team mustered a quality chance, both teams woke up starting with Inter Miami when Suarez notched his 16th goal of the season. Suarez took a cross from Casemiro after a long roller into the box from Rodrigo De Paul. Suarez then hit a pinpoint shot into the top right corner and out of Celentano’s reach.
Mboma Dem answered 19 minutes later with his fifth goal on a great rising shot into the upper left corner past Miami goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair to level the match at 1.
Gidi struck nine minutes later for his first-ever MLS goal off assists from Tom Barlow and Evander, who assisted on both goals.
Evander created another scoring chance in stoppage time that was broken up by Miami defender Ian Fray.
Inter Miami also had a late close-range chance when Suarez fired a shot that was blocked by Celentano.
–Field Level Media
