Atlanta United defeated CF Montréal 3-1 on Saturday night at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Saba Lobjanidze scored his first two goals of the season, while Latte Lath added a goal to secure the three points. The win extends Atlanta’s streak to three matches in all competitions.
“I feel great, a long time we don’t score. I’m so happy about that,” said Atlanta United midfielder Saba Lobjanidze. “I’m also happy because we won our third game in a row. That means a lot for us.”
It took Montréal six minutes to open the scoring, but after that, the Five Stripes would score three unanswered goals. Atlanta’s first good opportunity came in the 26th minute. Lobjanidze ran onto a through ball played by Cooper Sanchez, but the Georgian winger’s near-post effort was saved by Thomas Gillier. A few minutes later, Matías Galarza was unmarked at the top of the box, but his right-footed shot went just over the bar. Atlanta continued to put pressure on Montreal’s defense and was rewarded in the 41st minute.
Pedro Amador and Alexey Miranchuk combined for a nice 1-2 about 25 yards from goal. Miranchuk then found Lobjanidze cutting from the left wing at the top of the box, where the Georgian dribbled by his defender to the center of the box. He then took a shot to the left corner, beating Gillier with ease.
In first half stoppage time, Atlanta forced a turnover deep in Montreal’s half. The ball was played to Latte Lath 20 yards in front of goal, where the striker played Miranchuk in on the right side of the box. Latte Lath then received a return pass and finished into an open net for a 2-1 Atlanta lead at the break.
The Five Stripes picked up the pressure to start the second half, and it paid off immediately. Sanchez pressed Montreal’s backline 25 yards from goal and won the ball cleanly to spring an immediate attack. He laid the ball into the path of Lobjanidze, who took one touch and fired his second goal of the match for the 3-1 lead.
“We have seen over and over again when the team goes behind in the scoreline, it breaks down, gets disorganized, leaves spaces,” said Atlanta United’s Tata Martino. “Today we kept playing the same way, we were able to turn it around, and I think that’s relevant.”
Atlanta United (3-7-1, 10 points) returns to action Saturday, May 9, when it hosts LA Galaxy in MLS Regular Season action (7:30 p.m. ET, Apple TV, 92.9 The Game, La Mejor). All Atlanta United MLS matches are available on Apple TV.
-Jon Jones
Photo: Courtesy of ATLUTD