Inter Miami CF rallied for a 3-2 victory over the Chicago Fire on Wednesday night, spoiling Robert Lewandowski’s MLS debut, according to ESPN. Luis Suárez scored twice and Preston Plambeck netted his first career MLS goal in the 87th minute to secure the win.
Chicago opened the scoring in the 18th minute on an own goal by goalkeeper Rocco Ríos Novo after a slow, rolling pass from Miami defender Ian Fray slipped through the keeper’s legs. Suárez converted a penalty in the 27th minute to level the match at 1-1, and he added a second goal early in the second half to give Miami a 2-1 lead.
Puso Dithejane, who entered for Philip Zinckernagel in the 62nd minute, scored his first MLS goal in the 67th minute to make it 2-2. Later in the game, Suárez had a shot parried by Chicago goalkeeper Chris Brady; Plambeck reacted to the rebound and finished from close range in the 87th minute to complete the scoring.
The win pushed Miami to 10-2-4 and marked the club’s fifth straight victory, a streak that began before Major League Soccer’s six-week break for the FIFA World Cup, ESPN reported. Miami played without Lionel Messi and Rodrigo de Paul, both given time off after participating in Argentina’s run to the World Cup final.
Manager Guillermo Hoyos praised the group after the match, saying the squad “has worked incredibly hard” and emphasizing that “rest is vital” for players recovering from the World Cup stretch. The Fire, who signed Lewandowski on June 29, saw the forward make his delayed first appearance for the club on Wednesday; Chicago’s earlier match against Vancouver had been postponed to Oct. 6 because of air quality concerns, according to ESPN.
