It was like a bad reenactment of Van Nistelrooy vs Arsenal, 2003
Gonzalo Higuaín had a debut to forget for Inter Miami on Sunday night, missing a penalty in a 3-0 defeat to the Philadelphia Union.
Higuaín recently joined David Beckham’s new MLS outfit after agreeing a termination of his contract at Juventus, reuniting with Blaise Matuidi, who also moved from Juve to Miami earlier in the window.
Both Higuín and Matuidi started against the Union, but came out second best, with the home side taking the lead after just 25 minutes, before doubling it in the 69th, and putting the game to bed in injury time with a third goal in the 96th minute.
Higuaín did have the chance to pull one back with the score at 2-0, but blazed his penalty over the bar before looking at the spot, presumably thinking it had been scuffed before he stepped up.
The Union players struggled to hide their joy at his mess, as they jumped all around him, goading the 32-year-old. Higuaín snapped, shoving the gloating opposition players while managing not to be sent off for violent conduct, which is a fine balance to strike.
Higuain skies the penalty kick 😳 pic.twitter.com/M5yZMMzpgI
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) September 28, 2020
It’s like a bad reenactment of the battle of Old Trafford in 2003, when Ruud van Nistelrooy’s late penalty miss sparked a brawl with Arsenal players, with Martin Keown’s shoulder slam the peak of the thuggery on show that day.
This isn’t quite as severe, but it’s quite fun, isn’t it? You’re not watching MLS for the high standard of football on show, that’s for sure. Dramatic scenes like these are why we accidentally watch MLS at 1am on a Sunday night/Monday morning because we’ve forgotten to change the channel but hey, it’s on now and you’ve got a late start tomorrow. Might as well see how Carlos Vela is getting on.
