L’équipe de l’Inter Miami CF s’est rendue à Nashville, Tennessee, samedi soir, pour affronter le club local de MLS Nashville SC dans un match très attendu. Les visiteurs cherchaient à s’appuyer sur leur récente bonne forme et à remporter une importante victoire à l’extérieur contre un adversaire coriace.Le match a commencé à un rythme effréné, les deux équipes pressant haut et cherchant à prendre rapidement l’avantage. La première vraie chance est revenue au jeune attaquant de Nashville Hany Mukhtar, qui a forcé un arrêt intelligent du gardien de l’Inter Miami Drake Callender à la 12e minute.Cependant, ce sont les visiteurs qui ont tiré le premier parti à la 40e minute. Après un excellent jeu de préparation sur le flanc droit, le ballon est tombé gentiment sur l’arrière droit de l’Inter Miami, Ian Frey, qui a calmement glissé le ballon devant le gardien de Nashville, Joe Willis, pour donner l’avantage à son équipe.Quatre minutes plus tard, l’Inter Miami doublait son avantage grâce à un moment d’éclat individuel. Le vétéran défenseur espagnol Jordi Alba a récupéré le ballon à l’entrée de la surface et a déclenché un puissant effort enroulé qui n’a laissé aucune chance à Willis, envoyant les supporters itinérants de l’Inter Miami dans un ravissement. Mené de deux buts à la pause, Nashville ressortait en seconde période avec une détermination renouvelée. L’équipe locale a commencé à dominer la possession et à se créer plus d’occasions, obtenant finalement sa récompense à la 73e minute.
Mukhtar was brought down in the box and the young German made no mistake from the penalty spot, halving the deficit and creating a tense final quarter-hour. Inter Miami weathered the Nashville storm, with their backline, marshalled by the experienced Alba, holding firm. Callender was called upon to make a few important saves, demonstrating his growing reputation as one of the best goalkeepers in the league. As the game entered stoppage time, the visitors had several chances to seal the victory on the counterattack, but failed to convert. However, they ultimately held on for a crucial 2-1 away win, which allows them to continue their quest for a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Inter Miami head coach Phil Neville was delighted with his team's strong performance, praising the leadership and composure shown by veteran players like Alba. “Jordi has been huge for us all season. His quality on the ball and his experience in defence were key to helping us get this result against a very good Nashville team,” Neville said in his post-match interview. The win moves Inter Miami up to fifth in the MLS Eastern Conference, just two points off the top four. Meanwhile, Nashville remain seventh, but will be disappointed to have let a two-goal lead slip away at home. Both teams will now turn their attention to their upcoming matches as they look to cement their place in the playoff race before the end of the season.
Without a doubt, the absences of Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez were a major talking point ahead of this clash between Eastern Conference heavyweights Inter Miami and Nashville SC. The two South American superstars, who have played a pivotal role in Inter Miami's rise to the top of the MLS standings, were away on international duty at the 2024 Copa America tournament. Despite missing their captain and top scorer, Inter Miami managed to secure a crucial 2-1 away win against a spirited Nashville side. It was a hard-fought victory that showcased the depth and resilience of Phil Neville's side. The visitors got off to the perfect start when right-back Ian Frey opened the scoring in the 40th minute, finishing calmly after some good build-up down the flank. Just four minutes later, veteran Spanish defender Jordi Alba doubled Inter Miami's lead with a magnificent curling effort from the edge of the box, giving Nashville goalkeeper Joe Willis no chance. The home side rallied in the second half and were rewarded for their increased intensity when young German midfielder Hany Mukhtar was fouled in the box, allowing him to step up and convert the resulting penalty in the 73rd minute. Nashville pressed for an equaliser in the closing stages, but Inter Miami's backline, superbly marshalled by Alba, held firm to secure the three points. Speaking after the match, Inter Miami head coach Phil Neville praised his team's collective effort in the absence of Messi and Suarez. “It would have been easy for us to collapse without our two star players but the character and determination shown by the whole team was truly impressive,” Neville said.
“Jordi [Alba] was immense, not only with his goal but also in terms of his leadership and organisation in defence. That experience and know-how was key in helping us see out the result.” For Nashville, the loss was a bitter pill to swallow, especially as they had been the better team for long periods of the second half. Head coach Gary Smith lamented his side’s inability to capitalise on their dominance but took solace in the performance of Mukhtar, who has been a revelation for the club this season. “Hany [Mukhtar] showed great composure to score the penalty and get us back in the game,” Smith said. “I thought we were the better team for long periods but we just couldn’t find the finishing touch to earn us a point. We’re going to dust ourselves off and start again because we know there’s still a long way to go this campaign.” »The result allows Inter Miami to maintain their position at the top of the Eastern Conference, now with 44 points from 21 games. Nashville, meanwhile, remain in 7th place with 26 points, still very much in the playoff race but needing to find more consistency in their performances. Both teams will now turn their attention to their upcoming matches, with Inter Miami hoping to continue their good form and Nashville looking to bounce back and keep pace with the conference leaders.
