A goal poem scored Lionel Messi, on his return to the MLS, to contribute to the 2-1 triumph of Inter Miami over Atlanta United, Sunday night at Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
Messi scored 20 minutes for visitors. Emmanuel Latte Lath, at 11 ‘started the game had put the locals with the head of the head and “Fafá” Picault sealed the victory of Inter Miami at 89’ also with a blow.
For the Rosanegros, the result had a taste of revenge, because in last season the Atlanta United eliminated them in the first round of the MLS playoffs.
In the era of coach Javier Mascherano, Inter Miami is undefeated in eight official matches, in addition to the five preseason.
When the 20 minutes of play ran, Messi stole the ball to an adversary, threatened that he was shooting when an Atlanta player left at the crossing, eluded him and in front of the goalkeeper Brad Guzan, who covered the entire goal, the crack touched the ball with such a mastery that made her pass over a completely surprised guard.
Messi did not play at the MLS since February 22, at the beginning of the season, in the 2-2 draw against the New York City.
The presence of Messi in Atlanta was an unknown, but finally the coach of the Rosanegros decided to put it as a starter, after the crack played just over half an hour, as a substitute, in the 2-0 victory against Cavalier, on Thursday in Kingston, Jamaica, for the Concacaf Champions League.
On Sunday, with full stadium, Messi gave a great football concert and the advantage of the Rosanegros was not greater due to the great performance of the United archer, Guzan, as happened in the last playoffs, although the difference was that this time he could not celebrate.
Guzan made spectacular saves, especially for two Messi shots that had a goal label.
Messi was not only personally endangered by the Atlanta arch, but also the game generator of his team and his advances caused bewilderment and danger in the rival area.
The crack was ready to join the Argentine National Team and play against Uruguay and Brazil, on March 20 and 25 by the South American World Cup qualifiers.
Meanwhile, Fafa returned after being absent for three weeks due to an injury to the Corva tendon. He entered the end of the game.
“I wanted to repair all the support I received during the time I took the recovery of my injury,” Fafá said. “We have a lot of heart, we are very united.”
With Sunday’s triumph, Inter Miami went up to the tip of the Eastern Conference with 10 units, and will play again on March 29. The rival will be Philadelphia Union at the Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale.
