Luka Stojanovic’s 69th-minute goal wasn’t the prettiest, but it was a much-needed score for the Fire.
As midfielder Luka Stojanovic stood over a free kick in the 69th minute Saturday, the Fire were bearing down on some dubious marks. Despite dominating Inter Miami CF, the Fire’s scoreless streak had hit 383 minutes. The Fire were 21-plus minutes away from extending their 2021 winless skid to six and 12 dating back to 2020, and falling to the bottom of the 27-team league.
Then Stojanovic, a 59th-minute substitute, sent his shot toward Inter Miami goalkeeper John McCarthy. McCarthy, who had kept Inter Miami in the game, couldn’t handle a short-hop and let the ball trickle in.
Ugly score or not, the Fire needed a little bit of luck. They got it on Stojanovic’s goal, and made it count for a 1-0 win to end a four-game losing streak in front of 10,844 at Soldier Field.
“Fantastic,” captain Francisco Calvo said. “The players, the staff, the fans, the whole club deserved to win. We knew it was going to be difficult. We knew the pressure that we had, and we gave it all.”
The win, the franchise’s first since beating D.C. United 2-1 on Oct. 11, doesn’t solve the Fire’s issues. Their finishing wasn’t precise, and Inter Miami had its chances late to even the match before going down to 10 men after Robbie Robinson’s injury around the 80th minute.
The standings still aren’t pretty for the Fire (1-4-1, four points), and coach Raphael Wicky was careful to keep Saturday’s win in perspective. At the same time, he praised his players’ energy and confidence despite coming into the match after the worst five-game start in franchise history.
“We have one win; I don’t want to go too high,” Wicky said. “The way the team responded after four losses was really, really good. I’m really, really happy about that.”
Happy probably isn’t a word the Fire had used much recently, but they have something tangible to build from heading into next week’s match against Club de Foot Montreal.
They also have a victory that doesn’t feel like a fluke. The Fire outshot Inter Miami 20-4, were up 7-1 in shots on goal, and owned a 12-3 edge in corner kicks.
“It was really important for the team,” midfielder/defender Mauricio Pineda said. “We’ve been working really hard for this moment, and it feels like the hard work finally paid off in a game. But that’s all it is, it’s just one win, so we’ll keep working and look to get a lot more this season.”
Their fans would like that, too.
Saturday’s victory was the Fire’s first in front of home supporters since Sept. 14, 2019, at SeatGeek Stadium. The Fire, who heard more than a few boos after the May 8 2-0 loss to the Philadelphia Union, saluted the fans as they left the field and seemed to genuinely enjoy the moment after a difficult start to the season.
“We’re going to keep working hard so we can give them many, many more victories,” Wicky said.
NOTE: Midfielder Gaston Gimenez (right hip) was not available. A designated player, Gimenez was subbed off to start the second half of last Thursday’s 1-0 loss at D.C. United.
from Chicago Sun-Times - All https://ift.tt/3wo26gP
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