Inter Miami gets a win in Messi's MLS playoff opener, tops Atlanta ...
Inter Miami’s first-ever home playoff game and Messi’s MLS playoff debut was sold out — Messi games almost always are, everywhere in the world — and MLS even had a camera isolated on him throughout the match, streaming that view on TikTok. There were plans to also show the match live on a massive screen in New York’s Times Square; that ended up getting called off Apple will schedule a viewing of another match there.
Atlanta was the only team that beat Inter Miami when Messi was in the lineup this season, and it was almost like the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner — and finalist for MLS MVP honors — knew it wouldn’t be easy.
“It gets settled on the field,” Messi said in an interview taped before the playoffs, one that MLS teased on social media and said will be distributed on its Season Pass platform. “Anything can happen in a match.”
And for 60 minutes, the scoreboard said these teams were even.
Suarez scored with the match barely a minute old, and Messi had three high-quality chances later in the half.
Messi’s left foot nearly made it 2-0 after six minutes; Guzan had to sprawl to his right to barely deflect the shot away. Messi found a bit of space and fired again in the 26th minute; this time, Guzan punched it over the crossbar. And in the 29th minute, it wasn’t Guzan that denied Messi — it was the post. The rebound came to Inter Miami’s Marcelo Weigandt and his shot got punched away by Guzan.
If not for Guzan, it could have been 2-0, 3-0, maybe even 4-0 at that point.
Instead, it was 1-1 at intermission. Lobjanidze got behind the defense and beat Drake Callender from close range in the 39th minute, and Atlanta — which won at Chase Stadium in May — was all square going into the second half.
In the 52nd minute, Messi’s direct kick from 25 yards nearly gave Inter Miami the lead again but curled just wide of the post to Guzan’s left. The breakthrough came about eight minutes later, with Messi getting lifted into the air by Alba in celebration after the goal.
The night took a bad turn for Inter Miami late. Ian Fray, a South Florida native who has already dealt with three ACL tears, left in the 90th minute after a non-contact injury left him unable to put any weight on his right leg. There was no immediate word on the severity of Fray’s injury.
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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Tim Reynolds, The Associated Press
