Atlanta Keeps Hope Alive With Stunning Victory Over Miami In MLS Playoffs

Atlanta United snatched a dramatic last-gasp 2-1 playoff victory over Inter Miami on Saturday, putting a temporary halt to Lionel Messi’s hopes of leading his club to MLS Cup glory.

Portuguese winger, Xande Silva, scored a stunning winner for Atlanta in the fourth minute of stoppage time, thrilling the 68,455 fans at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

This victory leveled the best-of-three postseason series at 1-1, setting the stage for a decisive game three in Miami on November 9th.

Top-seeded Miami, 2-1 winners in game one last week, had looked to be heading for a series victory after taking the lead through Paraguay international David Martinez in the 40th minute after a terrible blunder by former US goalkeeper Brad Guzan.

Guzan could only watch in dismay as he mishandled a routine clearance from his penalty area, allowing Federico Redondo to seize possession. Redondo then squared the ball to Martinez, who calmly finished into an empty net to make it 1-0.

But Atlanta launched a furious second-half onslaught as they battled to save their season and were rewarded when Derrick Williams crashed in a header to equalize in the 58th minute.

In a thrilling end-to-end match, both teams continued to create opportunities. Georgia international Saba Lobjanidze came close to scoring for Atlanta in the 89th minute, but his shot was brilliantly tipped onto the crossbar by Miami goalkeeper Drake Callender.

The game looked poised to go to a penalty shoot-out when Atlanta launched a desperate last raid on the Miami goal, and when Aleksey Miranchuk found Silva, the Portuguese substitute made no mistake and buried a winner into the top corner.

“Words can’t describe it, they’re such a resilient group,” Atlanta coach Rob Valentino said after the win.

“I said to the team before the game it’s everybody together, it’s not going to be one person. And then a substitute comes on and wins us the game.”