Inter Miami’s superstar Lionel Messi made his long-anticipated debut in MLS Cup Playoffs, and it was a great one. Messi contributed one assist that helped Miami to a 2-1 win in Game 1 of the opening round against Atlanta United.
Striker Luis Suarez got Miami the lead in the opening minutes of the match, only for Saba Lobjanidze to provide an equalizer in the 39th minute.
Throughout the first half, Messi had a fair number of chances to score, even hitting a post on one occasion, but finishing kept letting him down. Still, he managed to make an impact in the 60th minute when he dished an assist for left-back Jordi Alba, who took a shot from outside the penalty box and sent the ball behind Atlanta’s goalie Brad Guzan.
Atlanta started pushing for another equalizer, but this time, Inter held its ground and calmly steered the game toward the end with a victory in hand.
“It was a match where what I liked the most was the control we had on the field for almost the entire game,” Miami’s head coach Gerardo Martino said after the game. “We didn’t make many mistakes that would allow the opponent to break out into space.”
Inter Miami finished the regular season as the best team in MLS, winning the Supporters’ Shield trophy and breaking the league record with 74 points. Messi and company will now look to get the team past the first round of MLS playoffs for the first time in franchise history.
