Inter Miami book playoff spot as Gonzalo Higuain strikes twice to extend his final ever season 

David Beckham‘s Inter Miami has booked a spot in the MLS playoffs for the second time in the club’s four-year history with a 4-1 victory over rivals Orland City, with Gonzalo Higuain striking twice to extend his final ever season prior to retirement. 

The Herons took an early lead in the first minute thanks to a chip from 22-year-old forward Leonardo Campana, who is on loan at the club from Wolverhampton, before Higuain scored a brace prior to half time. 

Ariel Lassister’s put Miami 4-1 after the break before Ercan Kara scored a consolation goal in the 71st minute for Orlando.

Fans at Miami’s DRV PNK stadium sang Higuain’s name through the 90 minutes while some of them also held signs thanking ‘El Pipita’ for his two-year stint at the club – a day after the Argentine announced that he would be hanging up his boots following the end of the 2022 MLS regular season.

Inter Miami striker Gonzalo Higuain celebrates a goal after scoring in the first half vs Orlando

‘After the most wonderful career I could have had, I feel that football has given me so much,’ Higuain told reporters on Monday. ‘Many thanks to those who have always believed in me … the time has come to say goodbye.’

The 34-year-old has scored 27 goals in 65 appearances for Miami since joining in 2020 from Juventus. After Wednesday’s game, fans, players and staff embraced to celebrate the team’s post-season qualification.

The crushing victory also relieved some pre-match pressure on Inter Miami. The team lied in seventh and final playoff spot of the MLS’ Eastern Conference heading into the fixture but now climb to fifth in the rankings going into the ‘Decision Day’ on Sunday.

The first time the Herons made the playoffs was during their 2020 expansion season, although they qualified as the No. 10 seed via a play-in round. The club’s first playoffs appearance also came at the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Former Manchester United right-back Phil Neville and his 30-men roster collected 48 points in 33 games (14 wins, draws and 13 losses) to qualify for the post season after finishing in 11th place last year. 

Inter Miami are now on a four-game unbeaten streak, heading into Sunday’s final regular season game and last suffered defeat almost a month ago against the Chicago Fire in a 3-1 loss on September 10th. 

Higuain is noticeably going out with a bang, scoring six goals in his last four game during Miami’s unbeaten run and has eight over the past seven matches. 

The 34-year-old ex-Chelsea, Real Madrid, Napoli, Juventus and River Plate striker has scored 16 goals this season for the club and also has 3 assists in 27 league games.

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