
Inter Miami staged a dramatic comeback from 3-1 down to secure a 3-3 draw against Eastern Conference leaders Philadelphia Union, with substitute Telasco Segovia scoring a crucial stoppage-time equalizer.
Israeli striker Tai Baribo netted twice for Philadelphia on Saturday, establishing a commanding two-goal lead before Lionel Messi’s 87th-minute free kick sparked Miami’s revival. Segovia then completed the remarkable turnaround with his 95th-minute strike.
Philadelphia took an early advantage when Quinn Sullivan, recently called up by Mauricio Pochettino to the US national team, opened the scoring in the seventh minute with a clinical finish after Miami’s defense failed to close him down.
Baribo doubled the lead with an instinctive strike in the 44th minute, capitalizing on Miami’s ongoing defensive struggles.
The visitors reduced the deficit in the 60th minute through Noah Allen’s cross from the left, which Argentinian Tadeo Allende met with a powerful header.
Philadelphia quickly restored their two-goal cushion when Miami failed to clear a long throw-in. Jean-Jacques Danley seized on the loose ball, setting up Baribo for his second goal of the match.
Messi brought Miami back into contention with a characteristically precise free kick that beat Union goalkeeper Andrew Rick three minutes from full time, marking his sixth goal of the season and setting up a frantic finale.
Jovan Lukic struck the crossbar early in stoppage time as Philadelphia sought to secure victory, but they were denied in the fifth minute of added time when Segovia capitalized on Messi’s assist to blast home the equalizer.
Despite showing admirable character in the comeback, Miami’s struggles continue with just one victory in their last eight matches across all competitions, during which they have conceded 23 goals.
Javier Mascherano’s team sits sixth in the Eastern Conference. The former Barcelona and Argentina midfielder acknowledged his team’s fighting spirit while highlighting defensive concerns.
“We showed character, personality. It was another difficult start of the game for us because in the beginning, we conceded the goal, but the guys showed they want to fight to get out of this situation,” Mascherano stated.
The Miami coach expressed optimism about returning to early-season form while demanding improvements from his defense.
“We are in a bad trend but with a lot of spirit to come back to be the team we were at the beginning of the season,” he said, before adding criticism of his team’s defensive lapses.
“We cannot concede every single corner kick and every single throw-in and give opponents opportunities to score. We need to be more focused in those situations,” Mascherano emphasized.
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