With a stunning goal from Aleksei Miranchuk in the final minutes of the game, Atlanta United managed to secure a 2-2 draw against Inter Miami during the 33rd matchday of MLS.
ATLANTA – It appeared that Inter Miami could win without their star players or head coach, inching closer to their next objective.
Lionel Messi played in the second half but couldn’t score against Atlanta.
Despite having their top players available and squandering opportunities to secure the match, Atlanta United equalized against Inter Miami before a crowd of 67,795 at the packed Mercedes Benz Stadium.
Miami held a 2-1 lead until the 84th minute with an alternate starting lineup, which did not include Lionel Messi, Jordi Alba, Federico Redondo, and Luis Suárez for most of the match. The decision for rest came after Miami’s victory over Philadelphia Union just last Saturday.
Head coach Gerardo ‘Tata’ Martino had stated the day before that he intended to rotate his starting players to manage fatigue in a week with three scheduled matches. Following the fixture in Atlanta, Inter Miami is set to face New York City FC.
Messi entered the game in the 61st minute after playing nearly 100 minutes in his first match back since injuring his right ankle in the Copa América final.
Inter also played without Sergio Busquets, Tomás Avilés, Diego Martínez, and Martino, who were all suspended due to accumulated yellow cards. The match was officiated by assistant coach Jorge Theile.
With the draw, Inter finished the midweek match day with 68 points, maintaining their lead in the Eastern Conference and across Major League Soccer, sitting at least 10 points ahead of their nearest rival in the Supporters Shield competition, awarded to the team with the most points in the regular season.
Inter dominated possession in the first half, but with few opportunities on goal until Leonardo Campana threaded a pass to David Ruiz, who slotted it home to score the opener in the 29th minute.
In the second half, a mistake from goalkeeper Callender allowed Atlanta United to equalize in the 56th minute when a shot from Saba Lobjanidze slipped through his legs.
The joy for many of the 67,795 at Mercedes Benz Stadium was short-lived when Leonardo Campana restored Miami’s advantage with a remarkable direct free-kick goal in the 58th minute.
This prompted Messi’s entry, and after warming up for about 10 minutes, he was cheered onto the field by the entire stadium, including local fans.
Atlanta United seemed rejuvenated by Messi’s presence and their home support, dominating much of the second half in front of Miami’s goal. However, Callender redeemed himself repeatedly from his earlier mistake, and the strikers failed to convert, preventing an equalizer.
Alba and Redondo came on in the 67th minute, replacing Ruiz and Robert Taylor, respectively, while Suárez entered for Campana at the 80-minute mark to help close out the match.
But in the 84th minute, Aleksei Miranchuk scored the equalizer with a well-placed effort on a counterattack.
Inter Miami will stay in Atlanta until Thursday before traveling to New York on Friday to complete their third match of the week.