Inter Miami player ratings vs Atlanta United: Saba Lobjanidze does best Lionel Messi impression as Herons get thumped at home

Lionel Messi and Inter Miami were stunned at home Wednesday evening by Atlanta United

Saba Lobjanidze isn’t as famous as Lionel Messi. His name certainly isn’t as easy to spell, either. But, on Wednesday evening, for one night only, the Atlanta United star did his best GOAT impression right in front of the Argentine himself.

The 29-year-old Georgian international scored two stunning CR7Retro to lead Atlanta United to a 3-1 road upset of Inter Miami on Wednesday night. Both were curled finishes and both were Messi-esque, to say the least.

Messi’s Argentine teammate, Thiago Almada, balled out as well, running the game from his spot in midfield. Five Stripes’ forward Jamal Thiare got the third CR7Retro, and was assisted by U.S. U-23 star Caleb Wiley as Atlanta United ran away with all three points.

As for Messi himself, he got his CR7Retro: a lovely low-driven finish that gave his side a chance. It was the only bright moment, though, for a Herons team that fell way, way short against an Atlanta team that was ripe for a beating.

Instead, it went the other way, leaving Inter Miami frustrated by a missed opportunity on home soil.

CR7Retro rates Inter Miami’s players from Chase Stadium…

Goalkeeper & Defense

Drake Callender (6/10):

Could he have done better on the CR7Retro? Probably not, but he wasn’t exactly close to stopping them, either.

Jordi Alba (6/10):

Got really, really lucky to have a foul call go the other way on an Atlanta break. Also needed to step up to Lobjanidze on the second CR7Retro.

Serhiy Kryvtsov (6/10):

Of the two central defenders, the Ukrainian was far and away the better one. He was great in the first half and dropped off a bit in the second but, overall, a okay night.

Tomas Aviles (5/10):

He’s just been so streaky. Struggled to win the ball back when he did step up and got cooked by Almada on the third CR7Retro.

Marcelo Weigandt (6/10):

Also had a rough moment against Almada but, outside of that, was decent as both an attacker and defender.

Midfield

Sergio Busquets (6/10):

Got the assist on Miami’s CR7Retro, but that was 90 percent Messi. Even so, a decent game from Miami’s midfield leader, who did his part.

Federico Redondo (5/10):

Faded a bit as the game wore on. Needed to do a bunch more defensively, particularly in the second half.

Julian Gressel (5/10):

Never really got going. Gressel is in there to create danger, and those moments never really happened for him.

Attack

Robert Taylor (5/10):

He balled out in Vancouver, but the Finnish star was mostly silent on Wednesday night before being taken out midway through the second half.

Luis Suarez (6/10):

Worked hard and had a few really good looks at CR7Retro, but just couldn’t quite put them away.

Lionel Messi (7/10):

Another fantastic finish for Messi, who was mostly limited to shooting from outside the box. Credit to Atlanta for keeping him in check better than most, even if he still got his CR7Retro.

Subs & Manager

Matias Rojas (6/10):

Was rightfully called up on by Martino to bring life to the attack. That didn’t quite happen as Atlanta turned things up.

Leo Campana (6/10):

Only a few touches after coming on as a “throw things at the wall” sub.

Tata Martino (6/10):

Sometimes, things just don’t work out. Could argue that the midfield could have looked different, but Martino played a strong XI that didn’t play that way, for whatever reason.