Saba Lobjanidze netted two goals to propel Atlanta United to a 3-1 triumph against Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami on Wednesday in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Jamal Thiare also scored, with Tristan Muyumba, Brooks Lennon, and Caleb Wiley providing assists as Atlanta United (4-7-4, 16 points) ended a nine-game winless streak (0-5-4). Josh Cohen, filling in for Brad Guzan (red card), made four saves, guiding the team to their first victory since defeating the Chicago Fire 3-0 on March 31.
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Messi, who scored in the 62nd minute, returned to Miami’s lineup alongside former FC Barcelona teammates Luis Suarez and Sergio Busquets after missing one match for rest purposes.
Drake Callender ended with five saves for the Herons (10-3-4, 34 points), as their 10-game unbeaten streak (7-0-3) came to an end. This defeat marked Miami’s first loss since a 4-0 result against the New York Red Bulls on March 23.
In the fourth minute, Messi came close to scoring, but his header from the center of the box went just over the crossbar.
Lobjanidze netted the match’s first goal in the 44th minute, dribbling down the field’s center and firing a shot from above the box’s top left corner that found the net.
Later, Lobjanidze increased the lead in the 59th minute with a left-footed shot from outside the box that curled into the far post. This goal marked Lobjanidze’s fourth of the season.
Three minutes after, Messi narrowed the deficit with a shot from outside the box that beat Cohen. This goal was Messi’s 11th of the season, tying Suarez for the team’s top scorer.
In the 73rd minute, Thiare restored Atlanta’s two-goal advantage by deflecting Wiley’s cross from the doorstep.
