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Atlanta Rallies to Beat Messi's Miami 2-1 to Even Playoff Series

Nov 2, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Inter Miami CF forward Lionel Messi (10) and Atlanta United midfielder Xande Silva (16) battle for control of the ball during the second half in a 2024 MLS Cup Playoffs Round One match at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images
Nov 2, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Inter Miami CF forward Lionel Messi (10) and Atlanta United midfielder Xande Silva (16) battle for control of the ball during the second half in a 2024 MLS Cup Playoffs Round One match at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images
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Atlanta Rallies to Beat Messi's Miami 2-1 to Even Playoff Series

Nov 2, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Inter Miami CF forward Lionel Messi (10) and Atlanta United midfielder Xande Silva (16) battle for control of the ball during the second half in a 2024 MLS Cup Playoffs Round One match at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images
Nov 2, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Inter Miami CF forward Lionel Messi (10) and Atlanta United midfielder Xande Silva (16) battle for control of the ball during the second half in a 2024 MLS Cup Playoffs Round One match at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

Xande Silva scored with about a minute to go in stoppage time shortly after a goal by Lionel Messi was waved off by a clear offside, giving ninth-seeded Atlanta United a 2-1 victory over Inter Miami on Saturday night and evening the best-of-three MLS playoff series at one game apiece.
Silva blasted a right-footed shot into the top left corner to beat goalkeeper Drake Callender in the 94th minute. The Atlanta player celebrated by ripping off his shirt and dancing in front of the supporters section at Mercedes-Benz Stadium while the announced crowd of 68,455 cheered, The Associated Press reported.
Messi had plenty of good scoring chances but only found the back of the net with the flag raised for offside. Atlanta United took off the other way for Silva's game winner.
United rallied from a 1-0 halftime deficit, the result of a huge error by keeper Brad Guzan, to force a decisive game next Saturday in South Florida. Atlanta has a chance to pull off a major upset, having finishing a whopping 34 points behind Messi's star-studded squad, which had the best regular-season record in Major League Soccer.
Derrick Williams tied the game in the 58th minute after a corner kick was turned away by the Herons. Pedro Amador sent a cross back into the box from long range and Williams dove to get a head on it, skipping it past Callender.
Guzan's blunder handed Miami the opening goal in the 40th minute.
After easily grabbing a cross into the box, Guzan went to boot the ball away — only to stumble and loose control with Miami’s Federico Redondo running along beside him. Redondo sent the free ball to David Martínez, who casually flicked it over four United defenders into the unguarded goal while Guzan looked on helplessly.
The 40-year-old keeper claimed he was interfered with by Redondo, but the replay clearly showed Guzan tripped himself up.
Messi misfired on at least three shots, going wide a couple of times before blasting one over the net in the 83rd with Miami pressing for the go-ahead goal. He walked away rubbing his beard, clearly frustrated at his lack of accuracy.
In the 89th, United missed a prime chance to grab the lead when Saba Lobjanidze rocketed one off the crossbar. Bartosz Slisz collected the ricochet, but fired it over the net.
Silva made sure it didn't matter.
Miami won the opening game of the series 2-1 at home.
The winner of Game 3 will advance to the conference semifinals, facing the team that emerges from the Orlando-Charlotte series. Those teams are also tied 1-1.

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Determined Palestine Continue to Battle the Odds in World Cup Quest

Soccer Football - World Cup - AFC Qualifiers - Palestine v Lebanon - Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium, Doha, Qatar - June 6, 2024 Palestine coach Makram Daboub reacts. (Reuters)
Soccer Football - World Cup - AFC Qualifiers - Palestine v Lebanon - Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium, Doha, Qatar - June 6, 2024 Palestine coach Makram Daboub reacts. (Reuters)
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Determined Palestine Continue to Battle the Odds in World Cup Quest

Soccer Football - World Cup - AFC Qualifiers - Palestine v Lebanon - Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium, Doha, Qatar - June 6, 2024 Palestine coach Makram Daboub reacts. (Reuters)
Soccer Football - World Cup - AFC Qualifiers - Palestine v Lebanon - Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium, Doha, Qatar - June 6, 2024 Palestine coach Makram Daboub reacts. (Reuters)

Palestine's quest to qualify for the World Cup finals for the first time underlines the determination to overcome the devastation caused by the Gaza conflict, the president of the Palestinian Football Association (PFA) has told Reuters.

The PFA faced obstacles to on-field success few other national teams have come up against even before Israel launched its military offensive on Gaza last year in response to an attack by armed group Hamas on its southern border.

Coach Makram Daboub and his squad, however, have confounded the odds and retain a chance of representing Palestine at the 2026 finals in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

"The restrictions on our movement, the suffocating policies by the Israelis have paralyzed everything," Jibril Rajoub, the PFA president, said in an interview with Reuters last week.

"We suspended everything, including the national league, but in spite of this we have insisted on continuing our participation in competitions, and that includes the World Cup qualification.

"We have a real problem because we could not bring any athletes from Gaza, and tens of them have lost their lives. In Gaza all sport facilities have been destroyed, including most of the clubs, the stadiums and everything are destroyed.

"In the West Bank, they are suffocating us, we cannot do anything. But this is our determination, our commitment."

Violence has surged in the West Bank since the start of the war in Gaza, with almost daily sweeps by Israeli forces that have involved thousands of arrests and regular gunbattles between security forces and Palestinian fighters.

'MOTIVATION'

While the expanded 48-team format for the 2026 finals offered a golden opportunity for the likes of Palestine to play in the showpiece tournament, plenty of work remains to be done if they are to secure a spot.

Bottom of Group B with two points from four matches, Palestine renew their campaign against Oman in Muscat on Nov. 14 before "hosting" South Korea five days later.

It has been five years since Palestine have been able to host an international in Jerusalem and their clash with the group-leading Koreans will take place in Jordan's capital Amman.

"It will never be like home," Rajoub said. "We like Jordan, we like Amman but we like to play in Jerusalem, we like to play in our home but this is what we have.

"We cannot play at home and this is financially (difficult). For the first time we will play in Jordan, which is close. I hope some of our fans from Palestine can come.

"We have the right to host. We have to overcome with our determination, our people's resilience, our commitment. We have no other choice."

A trip to the World Cup would help ease those financial pressures - each team in Qatar two years ago went home with at least $9 million -- and Palestine have already had some encouraging results in the third phase of Asian qualifying.

A surprise 0-0 draw with the South Koreans in Seoul in their group opener in September was followed by a draw against Kuwait last month.

While securing a direct ticket to the finals is unlikely, Palestine could advance to another round of playoffs with a third or fourth placed finish in the group and are currently only a point behind fourth=placed Oman.

"I think they are doing well," Rajoub said. "This is the first time in our history we have qualified for the third phase in spite of the situation.

"We don't have a national league so it's not easy. Some athletes have lost their lives or their colleagues or mentors or coaches. This also, psychologically, will have an effect but despite this we are trying and playing well.

"It could also be a source of motivation for the athletes."