Breel Embolo's Debut Penalty Earns Atlanta United a 2-2 Draw at Inter Miami

Bad weather pushed the night back by more than an hour. Lionel Messi drew a roar just by walking out of the tunnel. And then the new guy in Atlanta red and black walked up to the penalty spot in the 87th minute and stole the ending.

Breel Embolo, playing his first match for Atlanta United, converted a late penalty to earn the 5-Stripes a 2-2 draw with Inter Miami on a rainy Saturday night at Nu Stadium. Casemiro and Luis Suárez scored for Miami, Miguel Almirón answered for Atlanta, and Dayne St. Clair's penalty save looked like the moment that would decide it. It wasn't.

Rain Delay, Then a Track Meet

The backdrop was heavy. According to the AP, this was Messi's first match since retiring from international soccer, and the home crowd was loud before a ball was kicked. Atlanta did not read the room. Embolo headed an Almirón cross wide in the 10th minute, and Tristan Muyumba forced St. Clair into a save from distance in the 22nd before skying another effort in the 27th.

Miami struck first off a set piece. In the 32nd minute, Messi swung in a corner and Casemiro rose in the middle, heading it into the top right corner. MLS noted it was the Brazilian's second goal in two games.

The lead lasted three minutes. In the 35th, Almirón finished from point-blank range into the bottom left corner. Atlanta's account of the goal has Tomás Jacob's cross deflecting off St. Clair before the captain tapped it home. Either way, it counted.

Then Messi rattled the right post with a direct free kick in the 40th minute, and in the first minute of stoppage time Telasco Segovia teed up Suárez for a right-footed finish from the center of the box. That was Suárez's 12th goal of the season, per the AP, and Miami took a 2-1 lead into the break.

Penalty Roulette

The second half belonged to Atlanta, and it got chaotic. Miami swapped the booked Maximiliano Falcón for Facundo Mura at halftime. Atlanta lost Cooper Sanchez to an injury in the 57th minute, sending on Mauricio Amaro, whose appearance was his first for the club. Amaro wasted no time, testing St. Clair from more than 35 yards in the 67th.

In the 70th minute, Almirón went down under a challenge from Casemiro, a VAR review ended with a penalty for Atlanta, and Casemiro was booked. Almirón took it himself in the 73rd. St. Clair dove and kept out his left-footed attempt. Big moment, big save, big exhale from the home end.

Atlanta did not fold. Paulo Díaz headed wide off a corner in the 74th, and Alexey Miranchuk missed from the center of the box in the 77th and again in the 81st. Then, in the 85th, Fricio Caicedo fouled Embolo in the area. Embolo stepped up in the 87th and drilled a right-footed penalty into the bottom right corner. 2-2.

Eight minutes of added time felt like eighty. Lucas Hoyos saved a Messi shot from the left side of the box in the seventh minute of stoppage time, and the follow-up was blocked. Alexander Shaw missed from distance, and Germán Berterame headed over from the center of the box with the last real chance.

The New Guy, the Captain and the GOAT

Breel Embolo had the kind of debut that gets clipped for the season-ticket renewal video. He played the full match, won seven fouls, took three shots and drew the penalty he converted. Atlanta says he became the third player in club history to score a result-changing goal on his club debut, joining Dom Dwyer and Nick Firmino. The Designated Player was a nuisance all night, which is the job description.

Miguel Almirón scored, had two of his three shots on target and drew a penalty, which makes the miss sting a little less. Atlanta counts the goal as his 10th goal contribution of the season and says he has seven goals and assists across his last eight matches.

Lionel Messi fired six shots, hit the post, and set up the opener. ESPN's match data credits him with one assist; MLS and the AP also give him a second for the pass that started the move to Suárez's goal. By MLS's count, the night took him to 30 goal contributions this season, making him the first player in league history to reach that mark in three different campaigns.

Dayne St. Clair made four saves, including the penalty, and earned a yellow card in the 62nd minute for good measure.

The Foul That Flipped It

St. Clair's save should have been the turning point. Miami had absorbed the pressure and led with less than 20 minutes left. Instead, Caicedo's foul on Embolo in the 85th minute handed Atlanta a second chance from the spot, and a newcomer who had spent the night getting kicked took full advantage. Miami survived one penalty. Not two.

Stats That Matter

• Shots: Atlanta 15, Miami 11. On target: Atlanta 5, Miami 3.
• Possession: Dead even at 50 percent apiece.
• Saves: St. Clair 4, Hoyos 1.
• Discipline: Miami collected six yellow cards to Atlanta's three.
• Long balls: Atlanta tried 59 and completed 38, going direct far more often than Miami (21 of 39).

Miami Drop Points, Atlanta Find Hope

Miami moved to 12-7-4 with 43 points. The AP put the Herons second in the Eastern Conference, 10 points behind first-place Nashville with 11 matches left. Next up, Miami visits Chicago Fire FC on Wednesday and then faces Nashville on Saturday.

Atlanta moved to 6-4-13 with 22 points. A week after a 2-0 home loss to Charlotte FC, a road point at the home of the defending champions, with a new striker scoring and head coach Tata Martino's side doing most of the pushing after halftime, counts as progress. The 5-Stripes host Orlando City SC on Wednesday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

One Chapter Closes, Another Opens

Before kickoff, Rodrigo De Paul summed up the mood around his captain in a prematch interview with Apple TV, speaking in Spanish, as the AP reported. "Very emotional," De Paul said. "It brought us so much joy to see the Argentina jersey all over the world, and it always had a No. 10 on the back."

That chapter is closed. The Miami chapter is still being written, and Messi is still producing numbers that look like typos. But on this soggy night, the final scene went to a guest star. Embolo showed up for his first episode, ignored the script, and walked off with the last word.

Stats from ESPN's match data. Match details and prematch quote as reported by the AP via ESPN; additional context from Atlanta United (atlutd.com) and MLSsoccer.com.