Atlanta United eliminate Messi’s Inter Miami from MLS Cup playoffs

Downtown Phoenix (USA):  Atlanta United staged a stunning upset in Major Soccer League (MLS) Cup playoffs, eliminating Supporters’ Shield winners Inter Miami CF with a 3-2 victory at Chase Stadium. Lionel Messi’s Miami fell short of their own expectations, failing to end their record-setting season by winning MLS Cup. Midfielder Matias Rojas and captain Messi scored the team’’s goals on the night. Atlanta rode a first-half brace from striker Jamal Thiare and a 76th-minute winner from midfielder Bartosz Slisz, sealing Game 3 of their Round One Best-of-3 Series. In turn, they’ve booked an Eastern Conference semifinal at Orlando City SC after the November international break. Inter Miami opened the scoring via midfielder Matias Rojas in the 17th minute. Atlanta United forward Jamal Thiarr then scored in the 19th and 21st minutes for the visitors to go into the break with a 1-2 lead. Miami equalised through Messi’s 65th-minute header. But they couldn’t force a penalty-kick shootout and were repeatedly stymied by goalkeeper Brad Guzan, who made seven saves. Atlanta midfielder Bartosz Slisz then scored in the 76th minute for the definitive 2-3 scoreline. “If you think about the expectations we had for the playoffs, we evidently fell too short,” Mimai head coach Gerardo Martino said post match. As it should be when there’s so much expectation and the team can’t meet it. In the final stretch of the year we’d gotten used to achieving our objectives, and we weren’t able to achieve the most important one,” he added. Goalkeeper Drake Callender echoed Martino’s feelings of disappointment. “It sucks, it hurts. We wanted to give more to the fans who’ve supported us all year long. This will definitely stick with me. “I think it’s tough to kind of find words for the group. I think we all expected more of ourselves and we felt like this was a game we could’ve won and we didn’t,” Callender said. Atlanta are the Eastern Conference No. 9 seed and finished 34 points below Inter Miami, whose 74-point regular-season haul set an MLS record. Messi & Co. were looking to become the eighth-ever team to win a Supporters’ Shield-MLS Cup double. –IANS