Phil Neville admits it's a 'relief' to end Inter Miami's horrendous run of form with a 3-0 MLS win over Toronto, as David Beckham's struggling franchise end a six-game losing streak and score their first goals in 396 MINUTES

  • Phil Neville admitted it was a 'relief' to watch his Inter Miami side finally win
  • They ended a six-game losing steak with a much-needed 3-0 win over Toronto
  • Federico Higuain and Christian Makoun both scored for Neville's struggling side
  • Toronto defender Eriq Zavaleta then netted an own goal to complete the rout
  • David Beckham's MLS franchise still has a small chance of making the play-offs 

Phil Neville admitted it was a 'relief' to watch his Inter Miami side end their dire run of form on Wednesday night as they picked up a much-needed 3-0 win over Toronto.

Federico Higuain and Christian Makoun both scored for David Beckham's struggling MLS franchise before an own goal from Toronto defender Eriq Zavaleta completed the scoring.

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Higuain's strike ended the team's desperate run of 396 minutes without a goal, which contributed to a six-game losing streak.

Phil Neville admitted it was a 'relief' to watch his Inter Miami side end their dire run of form
David Beckham's team ended a six-game losing streak with a much-needed 3-0 win at home
Neville changed his tactics and his attacking tweaks worked as they ended their goal drought

But the victory on Wednesday kept their unlikely MLS play-off hopes alive, though they may still require maximum points from their remaining four games.

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Neville, who ditched his usual back five and went for a more offensive line-up against a struggling Toronto, admitted it was a 'relief' to win and boost their chances of a top seven spot in the Eastern Conference. 

The former Manchester United and Everton player said after the game: 'It's a relief to halt the run and when we lost the other day, I went over a few things we did when we stopped the last bad run. 

'I had a feeling about Federico for this game, they didn't have a lot of pace and I knew he would have a lot of the ball so it suited both him and Gonzalo (Higuain) up-front.

'They are in a worse situation than us so it felt like the perfect evening. We weren't brilliant, it's just a relief to stop that run.

'It’s nice to have that winning feeling back. We need to go on a run and we do believe. This is a mini-tournament for us now. Four more games, four more wins.'

Neville played the Higuain brothers up front and it was Federico (right) who got the first goal
Christian Makoun then collected the ball and finished well to double Inter Miami's advantage
Inter Miami stars celebrate after Toronto defender Eriq Zavaleta made it 3-0 with an own goal

Inter Miami have now won all three meetings against Toronto this season, as some woeful defending allowed them to halt their alarming form.

In the 10th minute, Toronto goalkeeper Alex Bono gifted Inter Miami their first goal when his clearance was easily intercepted by Federico Higuain in the box.

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The veteran forward - the brother of former Chelsea, Juventus and Real Madrid striker Gonzalo, who also plays at Inter Miami - converted his second goal of the season.

David Beckham's franchise still has an outside chance of making the MLS play-offs

The Higuain brothers were playing together as Inter Miami's starting forwards, and younger brother Gonzalo collected an assist on Makoun's strike in the 45th minute. 

Higuain's curling corner kick found Makoun in some open space, and the defender made a sharp move to collect the ball and score.

It was Makoun's second goal of the season, both coming against their Canadian opposition.

Inter Miami's third goal also came from a corner in the 61st minute when the ball deflected off Zavaleta into his own net while he was trying to defend Lewis Morgan. 

Neville will be hoping his side's change in fortune continues when they host another struggling side, Cincinnati, on Saturday.