Football

Atlanta United's dramatic 2-1 victory over Inter Miami on Saturday has reignited their MLS Cup hopes and dashed Lionel Messi's aspirations of leading the Florida club to glory.In a thrilling playoff encounter at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta fought back from a 1-0 deficit to level the best-of-three series 1-1. Portuguese winger Xande Silva emerged as the hero, scoring a sensational winner in the fourth minute of stoppage time.The match began with Inter Miami taking the lead through David Martinez in the 40th minute. A blunder by former US goalkeeper Brad Guzan allowed Federico Redondo to set up Martinez for an easy finish.Atlanta responded with a furious second-half onslaught, equalizing through Derrick Williams' header in the 58th minute. The game remained end-to-end, with both teams creating chances.In the dying moments, Atlanta launched a desperate attack. Aleksey Miranchuk found Silva, who buried a winner into the top corner."Words can't describe it," said Atlanta coach Rob Valentino. "They're such a resilient group. I said to the team before the game it's everybody together, it's not going to be one person. And then a substitute comes on and wins us the game."In other MLS playoff action, New York City FC defeated FC Cincinnati 3-1 to force a decisive game three in their first-round series. Alonso Martinez, Thiago Martins, and Santiago Rodriguez scored for New York, while Luca Orellano netted for Cincinnati.The winner-take-all game three between Atlanta United and Inter Miami will take place in Miami next Saturday. New York City FC will host FC Cincinnati in the decisive game of their series on the same day.

Lionel Messi's equalizer rescued a point for Inter Miami in a 1-1 draw against Charlotte FC in Major League Soccer on Saturday. Despite the setback, Miami remain atop the Eastern Conference and the Supporters Shield standings.Charlotte took the lead through Brandt Bronico's deflected shot in the 57th minute. Miami responded with urgency, and Messi equalized in the 67th minute with a left-footed drive into the bottom corner.Miami thought they had won a penalty in the 77th minute, but VAR overturned the decision. In stoppage time, Luis Suarez missed a golden opportunity to secure the win.Miami coach Gerardo Martino expressed frustration with the draw but acknowledged the team's progress. "We were a team that habitually lost for years, and now, we are a team that habitually wins," he said.Elsewhere, the Seattle Sounders, Houston Dynamo, New York Red Bulls, New York City, LAFC, and Orlando City all clinched playoff berths.In the 'Hudson River derby,' New York City thrashed the New York Red Bulls 5-1, with Alonso Martinez scoring twice. Orlando City defeated FC Dallas 3-1, while LAFC secured their playoff spot with a 2-1 win at FC Cincinnati.

Punjab FC's impressive performance on Wednesday night at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Delhi propelled them to a resounding 4-1 victory over East Bengal FC, effectively eliminating the Kolkata giants from the Indian Super League (ISL) playoffs contention. This triumph also secured the sixth and final playoff berth for Chennaiyin FC.Despite being out of the playoff race themselves, Punjab FC showcased their attacking prowess with their famed attacking trio of Wilmar Jordan Gil, Madih Talal, and Luka Majcen all finding the back of the net. The Staikos Vergetis-coached side outplayed East Bengal FC on the flanks, delivering lethal crosses into the box that were expertly converted by their forwards.East Bengal FC, who needed a win to keep their playoff hopes alive, could only muster a solitary goal from Sayan Banerjee in the 25th minute. Punjab FC had already taken the lead through Gil's clinical finish, assisted by Tekcham Singh. Talal restored Punjab FC's lead before the break, capitalizing on a pass from Manglenthang Kipgen.In the second half, Gil extended Punjab FC's advantage with a composed finish, assisted by Talal. East Bengal FC's desperate search for an equalizer left gaps in their defense, which Punjab FC exploited to their advantage.The victory not only ended East Bengal FC's playoff aspirations but also highlighted the attacking capabilities of Punjab FC. Despite their early exit from the playoffs, Punjab FC can take solace in their impressive performance against a strong East Bengal FC side.