03 March 2024 , 13:13
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Luis Suarez rolled back the years with a virtuoso display for Inter Miami as he scored twice, while ruffling feathers among the Orlando City ranks with some more fiery antics.
The Uruguayan forward's reputation as a marksman is as pronounced as his infamy as one of the game's pantomime villains and he demonstrated his mercurial disposition is undiminished in the MLS derby clash. The 37-year-old scored twice in the first 11 minutes of play in front of his adoring fans at DRV PNK Stadium en route to a 5-0 victory.
His first strike of the night was a typical first-time finish into the near corner as he showed his devastating poacher's instinct to put Miami in front after four minutes. Breaking his Miami duck, he was clearly in the mood to entertain as he struck again just seven minutes later.
This time, the former Barcelona stalwart combined with his teammate via a quick one-two before finishing from a tight angle with his weaker foot to double their lead. Putting the result beyond doubt in the 29th minute, he also supplied the ammunition for Robert Taylor to score again with a tap-in.
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However, the man known as 'El Pistolero' showed the two sides of his character as he remonstrated with Orlando's goalkeeper as the half-time whistle blew. The hot-headed forward was involved in a fiery exchange with his rival after he was denied a hat-trick just before the interval after being flagged offside.
That said, he appeared to have calmed down by the time the second half rolled around as he supplied a memorable assist for Lionel Messi with a sumptuous lofted pass. Coming in the 63rd minute, the prolific Argentine put the seal on the win as he headed home the chipped ball.
Reflecting on a masterful performance, Suarez coyly spoke about his eventful showing in an interview with Miami Total Futbol's Franco Panizo: "The striker, the soccer player, has to get used to living with criticism day after day. People in soccer don't have memories, that’s how it is.
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Luis Suarez got himself off the mark for Inter Miami during the first half against Orlando City"In that sense, I am very used to it. I have been in professional football for almost 20 years and I don’t worry about the things that are said," he continued.
His heroics versus Orlando came after the veteran striker experienced some criticism after two slightly underwhelming outings in his first couple of games in the US. True to style, Suarez was involved in a disagreement with the LA Galaxy's Edwin Cerrillo as he came to the defence of teammate Messi.
Describing how the incident came about, the Galaxy midfielder admitted: "First I was surprised that he was talking to me, so I didn't understand the first thing he said to me, nor did it register with me. He was serious and at that moment I knew I needed to stay calm, because it was early in the game. He knows what he's doing and maybe he wanted to get into my head.
"And like with anyone, I wasn't going to stay silent. And when Suarez and [Sergio] Busquets came to defend him… well, it's nice, but it's part of football and at that moment was when I had to be calm. What was said will remain with me, it is something that I will always have in my mind and I will keep that."