Lionel Messi looked up to the sky in emotion after scoring for the first time since his father’s death. His goal had put Inter Miami ahead. In the end, though, Miami had to leave the pitch after playing to a 2-2 draw with Philadelphia Union. However, a late-match incident brought young, Bangladeshi-heritage footballer Kavan Sullivan into the spotlight.
At Subaru Park on Thursday morning, Bangladesh time, 12 minutes of stoppage time were added after the 90-minute mark. Deep into stoppage time, tensions flared between Philadelphia’s Quinn Sullivan and Miami’s Ian Fray. The argument began after Quinn was allegedly fouled.
Kavan stepped in to stand by his brother’s side. The situation then escalated further. At one point, Miami’s Yannick Bright and Philadelphia’s Kavan began shoving each other. After the situation was brought under control, referee Filip Dujic showed both players straight red cards. Quinn Sullivan, who had been involved at the start of the incident, did not receive a red card; the referee showed him a yellow card instead.
Kavan had been on the pitch from the start of the match. Although he played the full game, he had little impact in attack. In the 35th minute, he attempted a left-footed shot at Miami’s goal, but Miami goalkeeper Drake St. Clair saved it. Quinn, however, was not in the starting lineup. He came on as a substitute for Indiana Vassilev in the 68th minute. Vassilev had scored Philadelphia’s opening goal in the 11th minute.
During the match, Quinn also exchanged a few words with Lionel Messi. Once the situation calmed down, Messi was seen giving Quinn a light pat on the back of the head. The incident did not escalate into anything more serious.
The Bangladeshi-heritage Sullivan family’s football story does not end there. Kavan and Quinn’s two brothers, Ronan and Declan Sullivan, won this year’s Under-20 SAFF Championship with Bangladesh. While Declan did not get much playing time in the tournament, Ronan was one of Bangladesh’s most talked-about players. Ronan scored twice in Bangladesh’s opening match of the tournament against Pakistan. Later, in the final against India, he scored a Panenka-style penalty and celebrated by taking off his jersey — a moment that also left a lasting impression on Bangladeshi football fans.
Meanwhile, despite the draw against Philadelphia, Inter Miami remain second in MLS’s Eastern Conference. With 11 wins, six draws and three losses in 20 matches, they have 39 points. Nashville sit atop the table with 46 points from 20 matches.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report