SANDY, Utah — Rodrigo De Paul and Luis Suárez scored one minute apart late in the second half, and Dayne St. Clair earned his second clean sheet of the season as Inter Miami beat Real Salt Lake 2-0 on Wednesday night.
Miami (5-1-3) is unbeaten in its last eight regular-season games to sit in second in the Eastern Conference standings.
Salt Lake (5-1-2) had a six-game unbeaten run come to an end. RSL had secured multi-goal wins in its previous two games.
De Paul took a short corner from Telasco Segovia and curled a shot into the upper-right corner of the goal in the 82nd minute.
Suárez, who entered in the 75th, volleyed a left-footed shot past goalkeeper Rafael Cabral for his second goal of the season.
“I don’t think it was just a goal; it was a ‘golazo.'” Miami coach Guillermo Hoyos said about the former Liverpool and Barcelona striker’s goal. “When you have players of this caliber, it is only natural that they might get frustrated when they find themselves on the bench. But here, there wasn’t a hint of that kind of attitude.”
Photo by Alex Goodlett/MLS via Getty Images
After scoring a brace last Saturday against Colorado Rapids, Lionel Messi couldn’t find the back of the net in Salt Lake City. The Argentina star had clear chances but RSL goalkeeper Rafael prevented Messi from scoring.
“I would have loved to see Leo score a goal, or two, or even three, given the numerous chances he had. But ultimately, other teammates found the net. Suárez’s goal makes me incredibly happy because he had been working so hard. He had his opportunity and converted it. Rodri did the same. Two absolute stunners,” Hoyos said.
The only other meeting between the teams resulted in a 2-0 home win for Miami in the 2024 season opener.
“Suárez is truly exceptional. It’s evident in the manner in which he scored his goal,” De Paul said after the game.
“There is a great lesson to be learned from this, as it can sometimes be tough for players who are legends of the game when they don’t get to play.”
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
