Monumental hit by Leo Messi’s Inter Miami!

He Inter Miami of Lionel Messi fell this Saturday in the first round of the ‘playoffs’ of MLS against Atlanta Unitedwhich added its second win in the three-game series by going 2-3 and eliminating those in pink. Inter Miami was the best team of the regular season and broke the MLS points record (74), but this Saturday they suffered a heavy blow when they fell to an Atlanta United that finished ninth in the East with 40 points and reached the playoffs as eighth through the ‘wild card’.

Messi and company, favorites to win the MLS Cup, closed out the 2024 season with a resounding defeat in which they won the MLS Supporters’ Shield title. In addition to this elimination in the first round, Gerardo Martino’s team this year fell in the quarterfinals of the Concacaf Champions Cup against Monterrey and lost in the round of 16 of the Leagues Cup against the Columbus Crew. However, FIFA, due to his good performance in the MLS regular season, gave him an invitation to the host country (USA) for the expanded 2025 Club World Cup.

Those in pink won the first game of this series 2-1 but lost 1-2 in the second. Tonight they had everything in their favor at their stadium, but Atlanta United sealed an unforgettable performance with goalkeeper Brad Guzan as the hero, and with dynamite in the counterattacks to exploit Inter Miami’s shortcomings at the back. Atlanta United will face Orlando City (fourth) in the East semifinals. On the other side of the table, New York City (sixth) and the New York Red Bulls (seventh) face off.

Without Sergio Busquets starting due to a knock (he entered the 78th with 2-3), Inter Miami took on the role it was equal to from the start: long possession, control of the match and harassment of an opponent completely hidden behind. However, the visiting team made it clear very quickly that they would be very dangerous on the counterattacks and in the 14th minute Thiaré sent the ball over the post.

Just three minutes after that scare, Inter Miami took the lead on the scoreboard. Messi received the ball in the penalty spot and made a mistake, which he doesn’t usually do, but after a great save by Guzan the ball fell to Paraguayan Matías Rojas, who was unforgiving.

The script was fulfilled and Inter Miami had a tie on the track, but Atlanta United revolutionized the game with two blows almost in a row. In the 19th minute, Jamal Thiaré took advantage of the wide gap behind the home defense and beat Drake Callender with his right foot into the top corner. Just two minutes later, Atlanta United counterattacked, Alexey Miranchuk assisted Thiaré and the Senegalese made it 1-2.

Those two goals stunned Inter Miami, but like a wounded lion, Messi’s team launched a total siege by land, sea and air on the Atlanta goal. Paraguayan Diego Gómez scored an equalizer but it was disallowed for offside. It was not the only chance for an Inter Miami with many means of attack but without precision: Messi did not hit the mark after a good combination with Suárez, the Uruguayan did not score with an acrobatic shot, the Argentine David Martínez had himself a header… .

And in most pictures of Miami’s frustration, Guzan appeared, full of energy and with some rare stops before the break. The locker room did not cool down because the goalkeeper, after the restart, made an impressive save on the goal line after a header from Jordi Alba. Inter Miami showed signs of frustration, but the usual came to the rescue: Messi. The 10 sealed a header in the 65th minute from a cross from his compatriot Marcelo Weigandt and the locals began to emerge from the maze.

But the traps aren’t over yet. In the 76th minute and after a game with everything, Bartosz Slisz rose at the far post to score Atlanta’s third goal with a header while Tomás Avilés, from Inter Miami, was on the ground suffering from physical problems. From there it was a will and I couldn’t beat the clock against Inter Miami as Atlanta United pulled off an epic move (Noah Cobb saved the ball on the goal line) to close out a historic victory.

TECHNICAL SHEET

2 – InterMiami: Drake Callender; Marcelo Weigandt, Tomás Avilés (Sergio Busquets, m.78), David Martínez, Jordi Alba; Benjamin Cremaschi (Leo Campana, m.59), Federico Redondo; Matías Rojas (Robert Taylor, m.83), Lionel Messi, Luis Suárez and Diego Gómez.
Coach: Gerardo Martino.
3 – Atlanta United: Brad Guzan; Ronald Hernández, Derrick Williams (Xande Silva, m.77), Luis Abram; Saba Lobjanidze, Bartosz Slisz, Dax McCarty (Ajani Fortune, m.60), Tristan Muyumba (Stian Gregersen, m.60), Pedro Amador; Jamal Thiaré (Daniel Ríos, m.77) and Alexey Miranchuk (Noah Cobb, m.91).
Coach: Rob Valentino.
Objectives: 1-1, Thiaré (m. 19); 1-2, Thiaré (d. 21); 2-2, Messi (m. 65); 2-3, Slisz (m. 76)
Referee: Lukasz Szpala. He warned Redondo and Busquets at Inter Miami and Amador at Atlanta United.
Events: Third and final game of the MLS playoff first round series played at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale (Florida)