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Chicago Fire vs Inter Miami player ratings
Contents
- Sold-out Solider Field witnesses sizzling second half from Swiss pair
- Inter Miami continue to suffer without Messi in the side
- 4-1 win sees Chicago close in on playoff spot
Chicago Fire Player Ratings: Xherdan provides X-factor
Chris Brady 6/10 – only made one save as Miami couldn’t test him
Jonathan Dean 6.5/10 – at fault for penalty, but otherwise good game
Wyatt Ombsberg 6.5/10 – organized and composed
Rafael Czichos 6.5/10 – missed a great chance from corner, but did his main job at the back
Miguel Navarro 7/10 – improved as game wore on, won more fouls than any other player
Ousmane Doumbia 7.5/10 – accomplished game, didn’t give opposition much space
Gastón Giménez 8/10 – led the game in duels won and tackles, great all-round performance
Fabián Herbers 7.5 – great movement as game opened up, two assists
Xherdan Shaqiri 8.5/10 – constant threat from set pieces in first half, found the goals he has been lacking in second
Brian Gutierrez 7/10 – homegrown hero is hot property and with reason, good game before being subbed off
Georgios Koutsias 6.5/10 – satisfactory night feeding off meagre offerings from his midfield
Substitutes
Maren Haile-Selassie 8/10 – winger turned the game on its head with two shots and two goals in four minutes
Kacper Przybylko 7/10 – good hold up play to help preserve result
Carlos Terán N/A
Inter Miami Player Ratings: Miami magic missing without Messi
Drake Callender 5.5/10 – one great save, otherwise found himself picking ball out of net
DeAndre Yedlin 5/10 – Caught out by Haile-Selassie
Sergey Kryvstov 5.5/10 – Average night
Kamal Miller 6/10 – Big blocks, assured in possession
Noah Allen 5.5/10 – good on the ball, but drawn out of position for first goal
Benjamin Cremaschi 5.5/10 – struggled against Doumbia
Dixon Arroyo 6/10 – accomplished but didn’t break the lines
Sergio Busquets 5.5/10 – overshadowed by Giménez
Facundo Farias 5/10 – lost more duels than any other player
Josef Martínez 6.5/10 – got his goal, showed flashes of old self
Robert Taylor 6/10 – unable to influence game
Substitutes
Nicolás Stefanelli N/A
Jean Mota N/A
Chicago Fire vs Inter Miami Match Summary and Highlights
A packed house in Solider Field quickly got over the team news and began supporting the home team. Chicago were compact and Miami couldn’t break them down, especially with a cautious midfield line that Tata Martino later lamented, had been “passing from side-to-side too much”.
The hosts pressured from corners, and the first big chance was from a sizzling Shaqiri delivery, which ended in Benjamin Cremaschi making a great block on the line.
Despite having 61% possession the 0-0 scoreline at the break was unfair on the home team. In total they had created 1.29 xG compared to Miami’s 0.04.
He seems fuuuunnnnn 👀
S/o to @brendanhunting (aka Coach Beard) for joining us in the house tonight!#Believe | #cf97 pic.twitter.com/7kz4XA1sFv
— Chicago Fire FC (@ChicagoFire) October 5, 2023
The deserved goal arrived early in the second half, Swiss star Shaqiri tapped in after Herbers had created the space with clever movement. But the supremacy was short-lived, Josef Martínez equalised from the spot after a Jonathan Dean handball.
Martínez, who we mentioned in the preview has a great record against Chicago Fire, had woken up and began finding space and creating chaos in the box. It seemed if anything that the visitors would score the next goal, but replacement Maren Haile-Selassie had something to say about that.
The sub swiftly took the game away from the South Florida side, scoring two goals in four minutes. Both times he found space in behind the hapless DeAndre Yedlin, being set up first by Herbers and then by Doumbia. Shaqiri put the game to bed with his second, expertly set up by Paraguayan midfielder Gastón Giménez who had a stand out performance in the middle.
Man of the Match: Xherdan Shaqiri
Man of the moment. 🌟@XS_11official balled out. 👏 pic.twitter.com/CjVcdMgdwZ
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) October 5, 2023
Chicago Fire needed a big performance from their Designated Player, and the former Liverpool man rose to the occasion in the second half. With Busquets tiring he found more space, aided by the fantastic running of second-half substitute Haile-Selassie.
It was Messi who had sold tickets to before this game, but it was the Alpine attacker who gave fans value for money. Shaqiri left the field with two goals to his name, having provided some sublime touches in the final third. Arguably his best performance of the season for the 1998 MLS Cup champions, looking to return to former glory.
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