Inter Miami overcame the absence of Lionel Messi and Rodrigo de Paul as Luis Suarez scored twice before academy product Preston Plambeck struck a dramatic late winner to secure a 3-2 victory over the Chicago Fire on Wednesday night, spoiling Robert Lewandowski's long-awaited Major League Soccer debut.
With Messi and De Paul unavailable after helping Argentina reach last weekend's World Cup final, the responsibility fell to Suarez, who captained Miami and delivered another decisive performance.
The Uruguayan scored his seventh and eighth league goals of the season before 20-year-old Plambeck emerged as the unexpected hero, volleying home the winner in the 87th minute in only his fourth MLS appearance.
The victory extended Inter Miami's winning streak to five matches and kept the Herons firmly in the Eastern Conference title race. Miami improved to 10-4-2 with 34 points, remaining second in the standings, five behind leaders Nashville.
The evening also marked the MLS debut of Lewandowski, who joined Chicago from Barcelona after helping the Catalan club win the La Liga title.
