Home Sports Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami are on the brink of elimination from the MLS Cup Playoffs after a surprise loss to Atlanta United

Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami are on the brink of elimination from the MLS Cup Playoffs after a surprise loss to Atlanta United

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Lionel Messi's Inter Miami are on the brink of elimination from the MLS Cup Playoffs after a surprise loss to Atlanta United
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Inter Miami will have a win-or-go-home match in the first round of the MLS Cup playoffs after losing 2-1 to Atlanta United on Saturday to level the series at one game apiece is becoming. Xande Silva’s stoppage-time goal was the difference in saving the Five Stripes after a Brad Guzan mistake in the first half set up a goal for Hector Martinez. The comeback win puts Inter Miami on the brink of elimination when they meet in Miami next Saturday at 8:00 PM ET.

The early goal saw Federico Redondo pressuring Guzan after a throw from the back and the Atlanta goalkeeper made a mistake that led to the opener, and that was after Atlanta dominated the first half. They would recover in the second half by scoring two goals. Derrick Williams scored his first ever goal for Atlanta after another Pedro Amador assist for Silva’s epic winner.

Miami had a chance to win the match through Diego Gomez, but he shot wide despite being directly on the net, and now all the pressure will be on Lionel Messi and Inter Miami. It’s a tough job to follow up the Supporters Shield with an MLS Cup win, but when a team has Messi, they’re expected to win everything, including the decider.

Sergio Busquets’ absence was reflected in the lack of cohesion in Miami’s midfield, especially after Yannick Bright had to leave the match midway through with a hamstring injury. Tata Martino will now have to refocus his squad while trying to shake off an Atlanta United team with nothing to lose.

After selling Thiago Almada and Giorgos Giakoumakis during the season and Rob Valentino taking over as interim manager, he has guided them to the play-offs and now their play-off run continues. The team’s resilience has shown during this period, but they will have to keep this up for another match.

Even Guzan responded to his mistake by making two big saves in front of the Atlanta United crowd, setting the crowd on fire. These are things that won’t travel with them in a week to game three, where the Five Stripes need to leave everything they can on the field, and that’s exactly what they’ve done so far. If Miami falters, they could be eliminated, making it a historically defining moment for Messi and the team.

Expectations are high, but so far they have been met. Saturday’s loss only matters if it’s followed by another loss next week, so it’s clear what needs to happen to put this behind them and keep their hopes alive.

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