Bongokuhle Hlongwane, Anthony Markanich and Robin Lod each scored goals to lead Minnesota United to a 4-1 victory over Inter Miami on Saturday afternoon in St. Paul, Minn.
Minnesota (6-2-4, 22 points) won its second consecutive MLS match and third in a row across all competitions. The Loons handed Inter Miami (6-2-3, 21 points) its most lopsided loss in league play this season. Miami played without forward Luis Suarez, who did not make the trip due to personal reasons, and without left winger Fafa Picault due to illness.
Lionel Messi scored his sixth goal this season in MLS play three minutes into the second half to cut Miami’s deficit at the time to 2-1. Messi struck when he took a feed from Jordi Alba in the box and quickly redirected the ball into the back of the net near the back post.
But disaster struck later in the second half for Inter Miami when Marcelo Weigandt tried to head away a corner kick by Minnesota’s Joaquín Pereyra, but unintentionally tapped the ball into his own goal to push the Loons’ edge to 3-1 in the 68th minute.
Moments later, Minnesota took advantage of the momentum swing on a brilliant play by Tani Oluwaseyi, who beat his defender and delivered a perfect cross to Lod. As he came racing up the middle of the field, Lod fired a shot past Inter Miami goalkeeper Oscar Ustari to stretch the lead to three in the 70th minute.
Minnesota scored on set pieces twice.
The first came just before halftime on a throw-in from Michael Boxall. The long toss was headed across the front of the goal by Nicolas Romero to the back post. Markanich positioned himself under the ball quickly and headed it past Ustari in the second minute of first-half stoppage time to give Minnesota a 2-0 lead.
Hlongwane scored Minnesota’s first goal in the 32nd minute off assists from Carlos Harvey and Pereyra, who drew three Miami defenders away from the goal and fed the ball to Harvey in space. Harvey then sent the ball forward quickly to Hlongwane, who snuck it past Ustari.
–Field Level Media
