Miami answers Romell Quioto's brace in tie with CF Montreal

Updated: May 17, 2023, 04:55 am

Romell Quioto scored twice for CF Montreal but Inter Miami twice found the equalizer on Saturday night to salvage a 2-2 draw tie with the hosts.

Gonzalo Higuain and Emerson Rodriguez each erased one-goal deficits to help Inter Miami (8-10-6, 30 points) secure a crucial point and move into a four-way tie with Orlando FC, Chicago and New England for the seventh and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

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Inter Miami completed a two-match, five-day, 7,600-plus mile road trip.

Montreal (12-8-4, 40 points) remained in third place in the East but moved within two points of defending league champion New York City FC.

Rodriguez drew Inter Miami even in the 79th minute with a tremendous individual effort.

After Rodriguez surged into the penalty area on a run that began after he picked up a loose ball, he fired a shot that Montreal goalkeeper James Pantemis batted out in front of the goal. Rodriguez slipped and fell to the ground as he initially attempted to kick home the rebound. But as Pantemis came out to attempt to cover up the ball, Rodriguez was able to get back up quickly and fire another shot past him just before he could reach it.

Montreal took a 2-1 advantage in the 21st minute when Quioto converted a penalty kick, burying the shot in the bottom right corner. The tally came moments after Inter Miami's Christopher McVey drew the penalty for a handball inside the penalty area.

Quioto, who left the match in the 70th minute, extended his team-leading scoring total to 11 goals for the season.

The sides traded goals in the first six minutes of play.

Quioto's first goal came in the fifth minute when he left-footed it perfectly off a long-distance cross from Samuel Piette.

Miami answered one minute and 22 seconds later when Higuain tapped a shot home after receiving a perfect through ball from Alejandro Pozuelo, who split a pair of defenders with the pass.

Higuain had been considered questionable to play entering the game after taking an elbow to the jaw in Inter Miami's previous match -- a 1-0 win Wednesday at San Jose.