Leagues Cup: Jordi Alba Powers Inter Miami To Thrilling 4-3 Win Over Toronto FC
Written by Patrick Echatah
The Herons defeated a spirited but inept Toronto FC 4-3 to advance to the Leagues Cup Round of 16.
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Within minutes, the hosts jumped out to a 2-0 lead, Matías Rojas and fellow Paraguayan Diego Gómez expertly taking advantage of some rather foolish defending from the visiting Reds, with Leo Messi watching from a pitchside suite as his ankle injury recovery continues.
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Toronto FC were given a lifeline from the penalty spot when Marcelo Weigandt made a comical mistake while under siege from Derrick Etienne Jr. deep in his own penalty box. Luis Suárez gave the team a two-goal advantage very soon after another defensive blunder. Then it was the other way around.
Furthermore, Martínez pulled and tripped Owusu to the ground, forcing referee Adonai Escobedo and his team to make a split second decision after Deybi Flores’ deft through pass put the German attacker clear.
Escobedo conferred with his colleagues after originally awarding a yellow card and another penalty kick. The outcome was a red card with a free kick right outside the box. All in all, it made Miami’s work much more difficult, although a glimpse of the opposition was provided by Drake Callender’s brilliant save of Insigne’s subsequent free kick.
Nevertheless, TFC scored and promptly scored another penalty. And the strangeness didn’t go away much after the interval, with the Canadian guests struggling to stay level in the tropical humidity while Tata Martino’s men maintained their lead.
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When it appeared that Miami’s defence was beginning to give way, Rojas broke through for his brace at the hour mark. With a career-best fourth assist from Alba, the Spaniard slid infield to send a well-timed layoff, and he blasted a stunning strike past Sean Johnson from 25 yards out.
In the last moments, Owusu would add some intrigue by nodding a header off substitute Noah Allen. However, it was too late; Miami were able to preserve their narrow lead to the final minutes.
Miami will now continue their title defence on the road, travelling to the winner of Friday leagues cup matchup between Sporting Kansas City and Columbus Crew.
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