Despite missing star Lionel Messi and having two men sent off, Inter Miami produced a sensational late goal to beat the Philadelphia Union.
David Beckham’s side are enjoying a brilliant season after last year’s struggles, and perhaps the best moment of the season came without their World Cup winner on the field.
While Messi was away with Argentina, Gerardo Martino’s team headed to Eastern Conference rival Philadelphia, and what could have been a disaster turned into a night to remember, especially for a rookie.
Leo Afonso, who was recently promoted to the first team after graduating from the youth system, scored the winning goal in the fourth minute of second-half stoppage time to surprise the home fans.
His first goal with the team came on a night when Messi and Luis Suárez were not in Miami’s lineup before the Copa América.
Leo Afonso walks away to celebrate after sealing the winning goal in extra time for Inter Miami.
It was a night to remember for the league leaders, despite the absence of Lionel Messi
Miami also saw David Ruiz and Tomás Avilés sent off in the second half, as both received their second yellow cards.
Union, meanwhile, has lost seven straight home games, a streak that dates back to March 30.
Without top scorers Daniel Gazdag and Julián Carranza, Unión opened the scoring in the third minute. Mikael Uhre took advantage of a ball from Jakob Glesnes, beat his defender and beat Drake Callender to score his sixth goal of the season.
The Union attempted to double their lead in the 13th minute when Quinn Sullivan received a pass, but could only shoot wide of the target.
Messi is currently on international duty with Argentina ahead of the Copa America next week.
Inter Miami received two red cards in Philadelphia, but still took the three points
Without Messi and Suarez, Miami initially struggled to find an offensive flow, and was not credited with a shot on goal (or a single shot, for that matter) until the 39th minute.
But the breakthrough came in the 47th minute when Julian Gressel fired a right-footed shot past Oliver Semmle to score his first goal of the season, tying the game at 1-1.
After seeing their ranks reduced to nine men (first when David Ruiz received his second yellow card in the 69th minute before Tomás Avilés received his second yellow card in the 88th minute), Miami found an unlikely winner through Afonso, breaking a brief streak of two games without a win in the process.
The victory allows Inter Miami to extend its lead at the top of the MLS Eastern Conference, with 11 wins in its first 19 games of the season.
