Charlotte FC 1-2 Inter Miami: Player ratings as Cremaschi strikes late to lift Herons to victory
- Inter Miami picked up their fourth straight Major League Soccer victory
- Charlotte FC's Patrick Agyemang canceled out Robert Taylor's opener
- Benjamin Cremaschi found the back of the net late on after an excellent cross from Julian Gressel
A late strike from Benjamin Cremaschi propelled Inter Miami to a 2-1 road victory over Charlotte FC in Major League Soccer action at Bank of America Stadium.
How the game unfolded
The beginning of the match was mostly the same script we've seen from Miami this season: a slow start in which the opposition probed the Herons' penalty area and created several genuine scoring opportunities.
However, Charlotte didn't take advantage of their dominance in the early stages as the Herons struck 30 minutes into the match. Jordi Alba was through down the left-hand side just inside the Charlotte penalty area, and Robert Taylor was all alone at the penalty spot to put Miami up with a calm finish into the far corner.
A few moments later, the hosts were determined to respond and pull one back. The towering Patrick Agyemang hit the post at first before finally finding the back of the net just minutes before halftime with a classic striker's finish -- low driven, into the far corner that Drake Callender did get a glove to but couldn't keep out.
It's unknown wether Serhoy Kryvstov's halftime substition was due to injury, the fact that he was on a yellow card or just a tactical change from Gerardo 'Tata' Martino, but Sergio Busquets then shifted back to the left-sided center-back. Busquets is no stranger to this, and this small change from Martino gave Martino a sense of security at the back with secure passer that the veteran figure is.
Even though Charlotte pressed for the go-ahead goal in the second half, it was Miami who would go on to find the winning goal just moments away from stoppage time. Julian Gressel -- who was lined up once again at right-wing -- teed up Benjamin Cremaschi, who made a streaking run into the box to tap home the winner.
The win saw the Herons extend their unbeaten run to five games with four consecutive wins in that period as Martino's side remain in first place in the Supporters' Shield standings with 47 points. Martino will no doubt be delighted with the result as he continues to navigate a challenging period without Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez in his squad.
Inter Miami player ratings ( 4-3-3 )
GK: Drake Callender - 6/10 - Came up huge early on at his near post but failed to keep out Agyemang's equalizing strike despite getting a glove on the ball.
RB: Marcelo Weigandt - 6/10 - The player neither helped nor hindered his side.
CB: Tomas Aviles - 6/10 - Struggled to contain Agyemang -- much like the rest of the Miami backline -- and was bullied off the ball by Charlotte's No. 33 that led to the equalizer. However, he improved as the match wore on.
CB: Serhiy Kryvtsov - 5/10 - In the same boat as Aviles. May have matched up better with Agyemang physically, but his lack of mobility was on display.
LB: Jordi Alba - 7/10 - Served up one of his trademark cut-back passes for Taylor to smash home to open the scoring.
CM: Benjamin Cremaschi - 8/10 - Played his part in setting up Taylor's goal with a clever layoff into Alba's path. Took home the match ball after scoring the winning goal on the brink of stoppage time.
CM: Sergio Busquets - 7/10 - Helped ease some pressure off the Miami defense in the second half after sliding in at center-back alongside Aviles.
CM: Diego Gomez - 7/10 - Gomez was absolutely everywhere on the pitch causing all sorts of problems for Charlotte. When he's fit, he's one of Miami's best players that tends to get overlooked by many -- except for Premier League club Brighton & Hove Albion.
RW: Julian Gressel - 7/10 - Shined once again when lined up out wide with his top-notch delivery that set up the winning strike.
ST: Leo Campana - 6/10 - Didn't receive much service up front in fairness but his touch was all over the place.
LW: Robert Taylor - 7/10 - His first meaningful touch in the match happened to be tap-in finish to put the visitors up in the first half.
Substitutes
SUB: Yannick Bright (46' for Kryvtsov) - 6/10 - Helped solidify the midfield as Busquets dropped into the backline.
SUB: Leo Afonso (71' for Taylor) - 6/10 - Didn't provide much in the final third after coming on.
SUB: David Ruiz (90' for Gressel) - N/A
SUB: Ian Fray (90' for Cremaschi) - N/A
Manager
Gerardo 'Tata' Martino - 7/10 - After his side weathered the opening storm, it seemed as if they were determined to come away with three points. And that they did after keeping Charlotte out of goal in the second 45 as his team's patience was awarded.