Messi Misses Chances as Miami Wins

Lionel Messi continually missed goal chances. He just needed to pass at the appropriate time. Inter Miami beat Atlanta United 2-1 on Friday night in the first game of a best-of-three first-round Major League Soccer playoff series after Jordi Alba scored on a Messi feed in the 60th minute and Luis Suarez scored.

The Supporters’ Shield winners and No. 1 seed in the MLS Cup playoffs, who established a league record with 74 points in the regular season, 34 points ahead of wild-card Atlanta, had a tough beginning.

Atlanta goalie Brad Guzan made eight saves and Saba Lobjanidze scored. Nov. 2 against Atlanta is Inter Miami’s last road game of the season, whatever. If needed, Game 3 will be Nov. 9 in Fort Lauderdale.

Messi’s MLS playoff debut and Inter Miami’s first home playoff game were sold out, as they always are. MLS even had a camera on him during the match, streaming it on TikTok. Apple will display another match in Times Square after plans to show the event live on a large screen were scrapped.

Atlanta was the only team to beat Inter Miami with Messi this season, and it seems like the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner and MLS MVP finalist understood it would be tough.

“It gets settled on the field,” Messi stated in a pre-playoff interview MLS teased on social media and announced would be available on Season Pass. “Anything can happen in a match.”

Scoreboards showed these teams tied for 60 minutes.

Within a minute, Suarez scored, and Messi had three good chances later in the half.

After six minutes, Messi’s left foot nearly made it 2-0; Guzan sprawled to his right to deflect it. Messi found space and fired again in the 26th minute, but Guzan saved. Messi was denied by the post in the 29th minute, not Guzan. Guzan blocked Inter Miami’s Marcelo Weigandt’s rebound shot.

Without Guzan, it may have been 2-0, 3-0, or 4-0.