Inter Miami 4-1 Orlando City
An early Campana golazo combined with an Higuain brace helped punch the South Florida side's ticket to the playoffs
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Inter Miami was without both its captain and top playmaker for a high-stakes midweek rivalry match, but it did not matter.
Nothing was stopping the South Florida side from punching its ticket to the postseason.
Inter Miami qualified for the playoffs on Wednesday night after steamrolling arch-nemesis Orlando City, 4-1, in front of an electric crowd at Drv Pnk Stadium. Leonardo Campana got the fun started with the earliest goal in franchise history while the red-hot Gonzalo Higuain added a brace before Ariel Lassiter got on the scoresheet.
The lopsided victory that came without captain Gregore (suspension) and Alejandro Pozuelo (groin injury) on the field moved Phil Neville’s men up into fifth place in the Eastern Conference ahead of this weekend’s regular season finale vs. CF Montreal. It also extended the Herons’ winning streak to four games.
There was a significant blemish in Inter Miami’s triumph, however. Campana, who opened the scoring with a classy chipped effort after 35 seconds, was forced to exit the game in the first half due to an injury.
Inter Miami: Leonardo Campana (Robert Taylor) 1’
Inter Miami: Gonzalo Higuain (Ariel Lassiter) 38’
Inter Miami: Gonzalo Higuain (penalty) 52’
Inter Miami: Ariel Lassiter (Bryce Duke) 56’
Orlando City: Ercan Kara (Facundo Torres) 71’