Robles heroics, two Morgan goals lead Inter Miami to 2-1 home win over Atlanta United
Leave it to colorful T.V. announcer Ray Hudson to provide the perfect description of Inter Miami’s 2-1 home victory over Atlanta United on Wednesday night: “What a lot of fun this game is! More twists and turns than Space Mountain!”
Miami earned the much-needed win with a pair of goals by Scottish winger Lewis Morgan and a pair of spectacular penalty kick saves by captain and goalkeeper Luis Robles.
“Personally, it was a massive weight lifted off my shoulders, especially as an attacking player,” said Morgan. “I’m just so happy that all the hard work we’ve been putting in from the start of the season is starting to culminate in positive results. We’re unbeaten in three in a row now and we want to make this place a fortress and long may that continue.”
Robles felt the team’s fortunes were changing even before the opening whistle.
“Something was said (Tuesday) in our meeting, we felt like the bounces were starting to go our way,” Robles said. “For us to be able to suffer together 90 minutes and put it all together was very vindicating for us. It does feel like our best days are ahead of us as guys step up to the moment, I feel like this team is capable of some big stuff.”
Inter Miami ended a three-game scoring drought with a 28th-minute goal by Morgan off an assist from Mexican playmaker Rodolfo Pizarro on a breakaway. Morgan right-footed the shot from the right side of the box to the bottom left corner, and the Miami bench erupted.
“Morgan’s eyes got as big as Marty Feldman’s,” Hudson exclaimed, referring to the British comedian known for his huge eyes.
Inter Miami coach Diego Alonso had a chat with Morgan a few days ago, and urged him to believe in himself as much as his coaches and teammates believe in him.
“This was a very important match for Lewis obviously because he helped us get three points, but also for his confidence,” Alonso said. “He is a high-level player, we believe in him a lot, and we told him to take the believe in himself and take the role of protagonist, which he did.”
You could almost feel the weight lifted from the Inter Miami players and coaches after Lewis’ opening goal, as the team had misfired on 42 shots – 13 of them on frame – over the previous three games.
But the celebration lasted barely five minutes, as Atlanta’s Eric Remedi took advantage of weak defending by Andres Reyes and knocked in a close-range goal from the ground in the 33rd minute to tie the game 1-1. Reyes buried his head into his hands, accepting blame.
Morgan, not satisfied with one goal for the night, put Miami back on top 2-1 five minutes later with a left-footed rocket to the top left corner off a cross from Ben Sweat.
And then, things got crazy.
Miami defender Nico Figal drew a yellow card in the 40th minute for a foul against Jon Gallagher inside the penalty area. Atlanta was awarded a penalty kick. Ezequiel Barco took the shot, Robles made a huge save, punching the ball out, but then Atlanta’s Erick “Cubo” Torres knocked in the rebound and appeared to tie the game.
The scoreboard read 2-2. But the goal was disallowed for encroachment, and Atlanta had to re-take the penalty kick. Barco took another shot, Robles guessed correctly, and made a second world-class save to preserve Miami’s lead. Robles roared and bumped chests with teammate Jay Chapman.
“When the PK was called, for me personally it was a really big moment because our team just got back into the game, we were in the lead, and if I could do my part to keep us there, I felt like we would win the game,” Robles said of the first penalty kick. “For it to go the way it did was pretty incredible.”
Robles said he watched a lot of video to scout Atlanta’s potential penalty kick shooters, but in the moment, it came down to his instincts.
“Once I was on the line, getting ready, it was just take a breath and not allow the moment to be bigger than me,” Robles said. “When I made the first save, obviously, it’s exhilerating. And for them to score really sucked. But you watched on the jumbotron and see that he encroached, so then, a lot of emotions as the ref says it’s going to be taken again. For me, the most important thing is I want to be big for my teammates to reward an incredible performance by Lewis and the guys.”
Watching the first-half madness from the bench was French World Cup-winning midfielder Blaise Matuidi, who started and played 79 minutes in his team debut against Nashville on Sunday but was left off the starting lineup on Wednesday.
Presumably, Coach Diego Alonso was giving Matuidi a chance to rest, as he has had just four days of full training with the team and had not played a game in a month when he arrived. Matuidi entered the game in the 60th minute, replacing Chapman. Juan Agudelo came in at the same time in place of Brek Shea.
Matuidi and Agudelo both played well in the previous game and provided a late-game boost of energy on Wednesday. Miami had struggled to finish games strong in the past, so bringing those two players on late worked.
Rookie forward Robbie Robinson returned to the starting lineup for the first time since early March and showed why he was the No. 1 pick in the MLS Draft. His speed, work rate and knack for being in the right place were evident for the 67 minutes he played. Although he didn’t score, he came close on a few occasions and was a key player in the buildup of several scoring chances.
Robinson had impressed early in the season. Coaches and fans had high expectations for him. But he got injured in the second game at D.C. United, and then took a six-week personal leave in July and early-August.
He had an impressive 10 minutes off the bench against Nashville, and earned the start Wednesday. “Robbie has been very productive and will have more minutes in the future,” Alonso said before the game. “He has evolved.”
Miami’s record is 2-6-2 heading into Saturday’s road match at Orlando City.
The rest of the regular-season schedule will be announced by MLS in the coming days. The plan, due to COVID-19, was to reduce travel and play only regional opponents the first few weeks. Travel is expected to be expanded during the next phase, with playoffs in November and the MLS Cup championship in December.
This story was originally published September 9, 2020 at 10:18 PM.