Lionel Messi and Inter Miami have been dumped out of the MLS playoffs by Atlanta United.
Messi’s first trip to the MLS postseason ended abruptly as midfielder Bartosz Slisz headed in the game-winner for Atlanta United in a staggering 3-2 upset.
Forward Jamal Thiare got Atlanta on the board in the 19th minute and struck again two minutes later, before Slisz notched the winner in the 76th minute to set up a meeting in the semi-finals against Orlando City.
Miami were overwhelming favorites to win the entire competition after producing a league record 74 points in the regular season but could not keep the momentum after Matias Rojas’ close-range goal in the 17th minute and Messi’s score in the 65th.
‘There’s some fairy dust in our locker room,’ said Atlanta goalkeeper Brad Guzan, who held his ground against Miami’s unrelenting offense. ‘On to the next one.’
Lionel Messi and Inter Miami have been dumped out of the MLS playoffs by Atlanta United
Bartosz Slisz (right) struck Atlanta’s winner late on to send Inter Miami out of the competition
Luis Suarez angrily reacts to an Atlanta rival as Inter Miami slipped towards a shock defeat
A sea of pink-clad Miami fans held their breath as Thiare hit the woodwork in the 15th minute and Atlanta applied the pressure out of the gate.
Guzan made a diving leap to stop Messi’s powerful shot from the center of the box in the 17th minute but could not recover in time to stop Rojas’ follow-up from close range, as Miami drew first blood.
Thiare responded quickly, drilling one into the right top corner, and had another superb finish off a neat flick from midfielder Aleksey Miranchuk in the 21st minute.
Miami midfielder Diego Gomez nearly leveled it in the 24th minute, beating Atlanta defender Ronald Hernandez and slipping the ball past Guzan, but the goal was called off.
Guzan kept up his guard in the second half, swatting aside a superb header from defender Jordi Alba in the 52nd minute, but Messi broke through the 40-year-old keeper’s defenses to level it with the header from close range.
With their backs against the wall, Atlanta refused to take their foot off the gas, and Slisz leapt into the air to head one in off a perfect cross from defender Pedro Amador.
Miami earned a free kick in stoppage time, but Messi fired it into a wall of Atlanta players and frantic late attempts to score went unrewarded.
