Lionel Messi and Inter Miami faced a tough fixture against Atlanta United in the MLS Playoffs Round One at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Saturday, November 2, ultimately finishing with a 2-1 defeat. This match came after a recent 2-1 victory over the same team.
The Herons got off to an intriguing start, with David Martinez finding the net in the first half. However, this goal was deemed controversial after a VAR review led to it being disallowed. In the second half, Atlanta United responded strongly, levelling the score in the 58th minute thanks to Derrick Williams.
In an edge-of-the-knife contest, Xande Silva secured a dramatic victory for the home team with a goal in the fourth minute of injury time, concluding the match at 2-1 after it seemed destined for a 1-1 draw.
Lionel Messi's high-five following a lacklustre performance
Lionel Messi took the field against Atlanta, joining forces with Luis Suarez and Diego Gomez in the attack. While the match didn't yield a win for Inter Miami, Messi contributed a lot to the team's efforts. The 37-year-old demonstrated his playmaking ability by registering five key passes and taking four shots throughout the game. His performance included two successful dribbles, and he was fouled three times. Additionally, Messi maintained a commendable pass completion rate of 86.2%; however, he failed to find the net.
Following the end of the fixture, as Lionel Messi was leaving the pitch, he high-fived a young fan. The fan's expression went off the charts as he couldn't believe the moment would come true.
Atlanta United has decisively pushed the series to a Game 3 in their Round One Best-of-3 matchup against Inter Miami CF. With determination and skill, they claimed a 2-1 victory over the Supporters' Shield champions on Saturday night at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
The crucial clash will occur on November 9 at Inter Miami's Chase Stadium.
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