Gonzalo Higuain rolls back the years for Inter Miami with a stunning first-half hat-trick – but Phil Neville BLASTS his side for ‘defending like little boys’ after a goal in the 97th minute takes a 4-4 draw with Cincinnati
Gonzalo Higuaín had one of his best performances since joining Inter Miami
Higuain’s heroism not enough to secure all three points after defensive collapse
Manager Phil Neville said ‘we defended like little boys, we defended naively…’
Higuaín has scored 7 goals in 16 appearances and started eight times this season
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Gonzalo Higuain had one of his best performances since playing at Inter Miami on Saturday’s 4-4 tie against FC Cincinnati.
Higuain scored a stunning first-half hat-trick, including a potential free-kick for the Candidate of the Year before his team would eventually concede a last-minute goal, ending the game in a draw.
Miami manger Phil Neville didn’t hesitate to express his displeasure with his team’s defense.
Gonzalo Higuain scores a blistering free kick from just outside the box against Cincinnati
Phil Neville didn’t mince his words by criticizing his defense after conceding an equalizer late
“We defended like little boys, we defended naively, we didn’t participate, we lacked discipline and concentration,” said Marcel, shortly after praising his team’s ability to seize their opportunities.
“And that’s unacceptable, unacceptable. Simple balls in the box that we didn’t have to deal with. Simple concentration bits that we didn’t have to deal with. We are in the phase of the season where concentration is the most important, concentration will make you win football matches and it will not be easy; you just have to defend and always do the right things and defensively we were just as bad as we have been all season.”
However, aside from this brilliant first-half performance, Higuain is struggling to regain the same form he showed in Europe for years when he was once regarded as one of the most dangerous strikers in the world.
Higuaín has played for some of the most prestigious clubs in the world such as Real Madrid, Naploi, Juventus, AC Milan and Chelsea.
He has also won awards at several of these clubs, most notably the 2018-2019 Europa League title with Chelsea.
Gonzalo Higuain’s career has reached some of the highest levels available in the sport
Higuaín has also played a prominent role in the Argentina national team throughout his career, right up to his last international appearance at the 2018 World Cup.
Higuaín scored 31 goals in 75 appearances and helped the team finish second in the 2014 World Cup.
A return to form from one of these former teams would be a much-needed boost to Miami and a vast improvement on what was an overall disappointing time in South Beach.
Inter Miami is currently 11th in the Major League Soccer Eastern Conference with 22 points and a record of 7-10-5