Lionel Messi's Inter Miami Knocked Out in First Round of MLS Cup Play-offs

Despite winning the regular season campaign with a record points total, Miami's MLS Cup hopes were dashed after losing twice in the best-of-three series. The favorites, led by their eight-time Ballon d'Or winner, have been eliminated from the competition.

All the accolades Miami received for their regular season Supporters’ Shield triumph count for little after an Atlanta team who finished ninth in the Eastern Conference pulled off a stunning upset.

For Miami coach Gerardo Martino, who won MLS Cup with Atlanta in 2018, an inquest is sure to follow but he tried to put a brave face on the loss.

“This season has had good and bad things. If you think about where we were in November last year, there has obviously been progress in terms of the club, not just the team. If you think about the expectations we had for this play-offs, obviously we came up a little short,” said Miami coach Gerardo Martino, won MLS Cup with Atlanta in 2018.

Inter took the lead in the 17th minute when Messi was denied by a diving save from Atlanta goalkeeper Brad Guzan but Matias Rojas followed in to slot home the loose ball.

Just two minutes later though the visitors, who only secured a wildcard spot on the final day of the season, levelled when a deflected pass from Dax McCarty fell to Jamal Thiare who confidently fired home with a sweet strike.

Miami were stunned when moments later Thiare struck again – the 37-year-old McCarty lifted the ball forward to Russian Aleksei Miranchuk who slipped the ball inside to the Senegalese striker who blasted home to make it 2-1.

Messi who finally broke through in the 65th minute, meeting a Marcelo Weigandt cross from the right with a thundering header.

Miami pushed forward in search of the winner but instead they were caught out once again with Pedro Amador’s cross from the left headed home at the back post by Polish midfielder Bartosz Slisz.

The final whistle brought a deflated silence over Chase Stadium as Miami’s season, which so many had expected would end with their first MLS Cup title, concluded with the sight of Guzan and his Atlanta teammates celebrating.

“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,” said Martino.

Atlanta will now face Orlando in the Eastern Conference semi-finals with New York Red Bulls and New York City clashing in the other conference semi. AFP