Higuain brace keeps Inter Miami playoff hopes alive, Shaqiri braces as Chicago loses in Montreal

Gonzalo Higuain scored a brace to keep Inter Miami's playoff hopes alive with a 2-1 win over Columbus Crew that ended their three-game losing streak on Tuesday.

In a game interrupted at halftime for a long time due to a weather delay, Higuain struck either side of the break to collect three points that put Inter in eighth place in the Eastern Conference , two points behind the seventh. Crew.

The 34-year-old former Real Madrid and Juventus striker opened the scoring in the 25th minute with a first time on a counterattack after Ariel Lassiter's pass.

Cucho Hernandez equalized for Columbus with a rebounding header in the 41st minute from a Steven Moreira cross.

The delayed half lasted over two hours, with the second half starting at 11:35 p.m. local time, with Higuain having a good chance saved by Crew goalkeeper Eloy Room in the 54th minute.

The Argentine secured the winner for Phil Neville's side in the 82nd minute with an angled left-footed finish beating Room at the near post on Alejandro Pozuelo's through ball.

Montreal remained second in the Eastern Conference with a 3-2 victory over the Chicago Fire, for whom Xherdan Shaqiri scored twice from the spot.

Kei Kamara scored twice, opening a 2-0 lead in half an hour for Montreal, also setting up the decisive goal for Zachary Brault-Guillard.

New England's playoff hopefuls took another hit with a nasty 3-1 loss to the struggling Houston Dynamo with Fabrice Picault scoring a pair for the winners.

Carlos Vela was on the scoresheet as Western Conference leaders LAFC tied Minnesota United 1-1, while Sporting KC beat DC United 3-0.