Lionel Messi scores but favourites Inter Miami eliminated from MLS Cup playoffs by Atlanta United
Published 10/11/2024 at 10:08 GMT
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Lionel Messi's Inter Miami suffered a shock first-round elimination from the MLS Cup Playoffs on Saturday evening, after a controversial defeat to Atlanta United. Despite a goal from Messi, the Miami side were knocked out at the first hurdle. Atlanta's decisive goal came while Miami defender Tomas Aviles was down apparently injured as his teammates appealed for play to be stopped.
'He is the best in the world' - Alba, Martino on Messi's Ballon d'Or snub
Video credit: SNTV
Lionel Messi's Inter Miami were swept out of the MLS Cup Playoffs on Saturday evening, following a 3-2 defeat in the third leg of their round one match-up.
Miami had won the first leg, but lost the second to Atlanta, which forced a decisive third fixture.
Former Le Havre striker Jamal Thiare hit the post in the 14th minute but it was the home side who opened the scoring.
Just three minutes after Thiare's chance went begging, Messi saw a powerful shot parried by former United States goalkeeper Brad Guzan into the path of Paraguayan winger Matias Rojas.
Rojas smashed in the opener from an acute angle, but Thiare then scored two goals in three minutes to turn the match on its head.
His first was an unstoppable strike from the edge of the box that rocketed past goalkeeper Drake Callender.
The second saw Miami's defence badly exposed by a simple ball over the top.
Paraguay international Diego Gomez seemed to have levelled for the home side, slotting a tidy finish under Guzan, but VAR intervened to rule out the goal for offside.
Messi was denied next by a brilliant diving save from Guzan as Miami continued to hunt for an equaliser.
Then Luis Suarez, looking unrecognisable with bleached blond hair, saw his audacious attempted overhead kick saved.
The second half began with a scarcely credible Guzan save. The American somehow clawed a goalbound header from Jordi Alba away from danger and Suarez couldn't reach the loose ball.
Miami's equaliser finally came in the 65th minute as Messi, with four Atlanta defenders around him, rose highest to power home a header from close range. Guzan then found himself entangled in the net while Suarez took his chance to rather enthusiastically share some opinions.
Ten minutes later came the key moment of the match. With defender Tomas Aviles down in the box and the Miami players appealing to the referee to stop play, an Atlanta cross floated into the box.
No header was there to meet it but Portuguese left-back Pedro Amador arrived on the wing to float a second cross in. Still the Miami players waved furiously for the match to be halted, but Bartosz Slisz played to the whistle and powered in the decisive header.
Miami pressed for another equaliser, seeing two more chances cleared off the line, but Atlanta held on for a stunning upset.
Inter Miami had finished the season with a record 73 points and won both the MLS Supporters' Shield and the Eastern Conference, but Atlanta had been one of only four teams to beat them in the regular season.
Atlanta advance to the Conference semi-finals where they will face Orlando City, while Messi's second season in the United States ends in disappointment.
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Former Argentina and Barcelona manager Tata Martino was circumspect after the match. He said: "This season has had good and bad things.
"If you think about the expectations we had for this play-offs, obviously we came up a little short. The players are sad, as they should be when there are so many expectations and the team can't fulfil them. In this final part of the year we got used to achieving the objectives but we couldn't achieve the most important one."
Spain legend Alba was frustrated.
He said: "It was a good season, but what we wanted was to win this more. In my opinion, I am not the one who is going to change now. This format seems a little unfair to me. It is clear that it has been done this way for many years, but if you ask me, if it were up to me, I would have to be the champion of one conference against the champion of the other, to make it as fair as possible, that's how it is. I repeat, congratulations to the rival team."
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