Inter Miami, without Messi, beaten 5-2 by Atlanta United in front of 71,635 spectators

A tired Lionel Messi stayed home on Saturday, disappointing many of the 71,635 fans who filled Mercedes-Benz Stadium hoping to see the Argentina star; but the home crowd left delighted as Atlanta United ended Inter Miami’s 12-match unbeaten streak with an emphatic 5-2 victory.

This was Miami’s first loss since Messi’s arrival and would hurt the team’s playoff chances. Miami fell to 8-15-4 in league play and remains 14^th place in the Eastern Conference, six points from the playoff line with seven games remaining in the regular season.

Atlanta, meanwhile, has avenged two defeats against the men in pink this season, including a 4-0 defeat in the League Cup at the end of July.

After the match, Inter Miami coach Tata Martino explained that Messi and Jordi Alba missed the match due to “muscle fatigue” after a busy summer schedule and that both players were at risk of injury if they played Saturday. He said the decision had been made two days earlier and stressed it had “absolutely nothing” to do with the stadium’s artificial turf, praising the surface from the years he coached there at Atlanta United.

With the team’s success in the Leagues Cup and US Open Cup, Miami has played 11 matches over 44 days and has four matches over the next 13 days, including the US Open Cup final against the Houston Dynamo on September 27. Messi visited Argentina and Bolivia. with the national team last week, adding to his workload.

“Our decisions are based on what we have in front of us because we are in the hunt for the playoffs, but we also have the game of 27^th, so these are difficult decisions to make,” Martino said. “They are all decisive matches, but the reality is that we have a final on the 27th^th…It’s just one match, for a title. The league still has seven or eight dates, and if we win them all, it is not certain that we will qualify. We started this series very late. We will not give up our hopes, but we are focused on the 27th^th.”

When asked if Messi would play in Wednesday’s home match against Toronto, Martino replied: “Leo and Jordi will train on Sunday and the rest of the team will have a day off. We will take it day by day. If he feels good, he could play. Otherwise, he will wait a few more days.

Miami lost its composure at times on Saturday, gave the ball away at key moments, conceded an own goal and struggled to defend the flanks. Messi’s leadership and calmness were lacking, but Martino said that was not the reason the team lost.

Inter Miami conceded three goals in eight first-half minutes after Leo Campana gave Miami the lead in the 25th.^th minute on a spectacular goal. Campana, who signed a contract extension Friday, knocked away a rebound of a Dixon Arroyo shot that slammed off the crossbar, turned it over a defender with his left foot, then slammed the ball into the net in front of goalkeeper Brad Guzan.

Campana, coming off a two-goal win over Kansas City last weekend, celebrated with his teammates, calmed the crowd and it looked like Miami would be fine without Messi.

But that’s when Atlanta went on its scoring spree and turned the game on its head.

Tristan Muyumba equalized with a header from close range in the 36th minute.^th minute that appeared to have been pushed back to the line by Miami goalkeeper Drake Callender. A VAR review could not conclusively show that the ball did not cross the line, so the goal was upheld.

“I have doubts about the tying goal as to whether it was scored or not,” Martino said. “They said there was no footage that showed the ball didn’t go in, but I don’t think there was any footage that showed it went in. But it was 1-1 and then we got a little disorganized.”

Miami’s players looked deflated after that goal, and five minutes later, center back Kamal Miller, one of the team’s most reliable defenders, scored an own goal while trying to clear a ball from the goal. Atlanta winger Xande Silva.

Before Miami had a chance to regroup, Atlanta scored again in the 44th^th minute when Brooks Lennon took a right-footed shot from the center of the area after a cross from Caleb Wiley. Miami trailed 3-1 at halftime, and all three goals came on plays started on the wings.

Campana gave Miami a glimmer of hope early in the second half on a penalty kick, his seventh goal in the last six games. He immediately charged into the goal to get the ball for the restart and fought a bit with Guzan. Within seconds, half a dozen players from both teams were arguing, pushing and shoving each other.

The game remained difficult and Miami never recovered.

Georgios Giakoumakis made it 4-2 in 76^th minute and Tyler Wolff added the fifth goal in the 89^th.

It was not the homecoming that Martino and striker Josef Martinez had hoped for. Both have fond memories of their years in Atlanta, particularly their run to the 2018 MLS Cup championship. Martinez entered the game coming off the bench in the 80th minute and received a warm ovation, including a banner giant representing him wearing a crown, because he was nicknamed “El Rey”.

“I have wonderful memories, it’s a city and a club where I spent two great years,” Martino said. “We felt respected and loved. Obviously I’m sad because our team lost and we came here to compete and win. But every time I come to Atlanta, it’s very special.