Atlanta stuns Inter Miami late to force decisive Game 3
Mercedes-Benz Stadium Atlanta, Ga (Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024) –Atlanta United FC finished a whopping 34 points behind Lionel Messi and star-studded Inter Miami CF during the regular season.
Now, the Five Stripes have a shot at pulling off a stunning upset of the best team in Major League Soccer.
Xande Silva scored with about a minute to go in stoppage time shortly after a goal by Messi was waved off by a clear offside, giving ninth-seeded United a 2-1 victory over Miami on Saturday night to even the best-of-three first-round MLS playoff series at one game apiece.
“We’ve been the so-called underdogs every week,” said Derrick Williams, who scored Atlanta’s first goal. “We’re in fight-or-flight mode, and we’re definitely fighting.”
United had to pull out a wild-card victory at Montreal on penalty kicks just to get a shot at the Supporters’ Shield winner, which set an MLS regular-season record with 74 points.
United finished with just 40 points the fewest of any playoff team and didn’t earn its postseason spot until the final day of the regular season.
None of that mattered when Silva blasted a right-footed shot into the top left corner to beat goalkeeper Drake Callender in the 94th minute.
The Atlanta player celebrated by ripping off his shirt and dancing in front of the supporters section at Mercedes-Benz Stadium while the announced crowd of 68,455 cheered.
Martino said he is confident his team can handle the pressure of a decisive Game 3.
“There is a lot of hierarchy in the team with many players who have gone through much more difficult situations than this, and we also have a way of playing that we have never changed,” he said.
The winner of Game 3 will advance to the conference semifinals, facing the team that emerges from the Orlando-Charlotte series. Those teams are also tied 1-1.
