Messi's playoff hopes suffer blow as ex-Liverpool ace leaves star facing wait
Former Liverpool cult hero Xherdan Shaqiri rolled back the years with an inspired performance to lead the Chicago Fire to victory over Inter Miami in Lionel Messi's absence.
The veteran attacking midfielder was on hand to score twice for the home side as they gained a major advantage over their rivals in the playoffs race. The Swiss international scored his team's opener in their before scoring again to sealing a comprehensive 4-1 win at Soldier Field.
With captain Messi still nursing a troublesome hamstring injury, head coach Tata Martino was tasked with masterminding a return to winning ways for The Herons. However, they have now won just one in their last five MLS matches after their talisman returned from international duty with a knock.
Miami weathered the storm in the first half, going in at half time with the game still goalless. From there, their opponents would raise their game with Shaqiri finishing off a sweeping team move to open the scoring for Chicago, before the floodgates opened.
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Miami's Josef Martinez equalised with a penalty not long after but Chicago forward Maren Haile-Selassie would then reply with two goals of his own. To cap off a memorable day at the office for the home team, Shaqiri's long-range strike gave him a double of his own and sealed the emphatic victory.
The defeat is incredibly costly for the Herons' post-season chances as they blew a significant opportunity to gain ground on the final qualification slots. Making the playoffs was always likely to be a tall order for Miami following their first half of the season, which left them bottom of the Eastern Conference.
However, their recent downturn in fortunes will now mean that Vice City will likely need some major good fortune to achieve their objectives this term. Head coach Martino admitted that they are now drinking in the last chance saloon, saying: "With sadness, seeing how the last chances are disappearing.
Chicago Fire midfielder Xherdan Shaqiri struck a sweet effort to cap off his team's victory over Inter Miami (AP)"We no longer depend on ourselves. There may be some minimal possibility and other results may or may not help us. … With the deterioration that the team has been experiencing in the last 15 days, I don't think the problem lies only in what our opponents are doing."
Explaining where he felt things went wrong for his team at Soldier Field, the Argentine boss added: "I think there were two decisive moments. We had two clear plays [chances] to go up 2-1, and then we lost the ball in the attack, leading to counterattacks in space."
Miami have a single game in hand left on Montreal in the final playoff place in the East, with the Canadians currently five points ahead of them. With only three regular season games remaining, their situation now looks bleak with four teams better placed to catch Montreal.
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