03 March 2024 , 00:07
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Luis Suarez was on hat-trick but opted to tee up teammate Robert Taylor as Inter Miami crushed Orlando City.
During their MLS clash on Saturday evening in Florida, the Herons dismantled Orlando to secure a 5-0 win. Suarez netted his first two goals after joining the club ahead of the 2024 season as a free agent, while Taylor’s goal came before Lionel Messi scored a brace of his own.
The opening stages of the game belonged to Suarez. The Uruguayan needed just four minutes to open the scoring, firing a first-time drilled effort inside the near-post before unveiling a new celebration in which he pounded his hands together and pointed in opposite directions.
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He then followed up his early strike with a drilled effort beyond the goalkeeper into the corner after 11 minutes to give Miami an early 2-0 lead. The finish was vintage Suarez, who displayed a beaming smile as he rolled back the years.
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Suarez wasn’t done there, either. Just before the half-hour mark, Miami midfielder Julian Gressel expertly played a through ball to find Suarez, who was in behind the defense and one-on-one with the goalkeeper.
But rather than slotting the ball into the goal for a monumental hat-trick, Suarez unselfishly laid the ball off to Taylor. The Finnish star converted the simple tap-in with ease to make it 3-0 and leave Miami in control of the game.
Luis Suarez unveiled a new celebration after scoring the opening goal (Getty Images)In the second half, Jordi Alba burst forward after playing a sublime one-two with Suarez, and the Spaniard dinked the ball over the goalkeeper only for the Orlando defender to intervene on the line. He smashed the ball against the crossbar and Messi steered it into the net four Miami’s fourth.
Five minutes later, Suarez found space on the edge of the penalty area before he expertly picked out Messi with a cross. The World Cup winner guided a delicate header into the far corner to wrap up the scoring as Miami extended their lead atop the Eastern Conference.
The Herons are the only team in the conference to have played three games, but two wins and a draw mean Messi and co. are three points clear of second-place Columbus. The Crew were held to a 1-1 draw with Minnesota earlier on Saturday.
Inter Miami are next in action against Nashville SC in the first leg of their CONCACAF Champions Cup clash on Thursday, March 7. Miami’s next MLS game is against Montreal on Sunday, March 10.