Vinícius leads the most bitter defeat for a Real Madrid side ravaged by injuries.
Jordi Alba was left furious and disappointed after Inter Miami suffered a crushing defeat to Atlanta United, who eliminated them in the first round of the MLS playoffs with a score of 3-2 in the third match and 2-1 in the best-of-three series. So intense was Alba’s frustration that he confronted the referee post-match, shouting in protest.
“You’re a coward, you’re a coward…” he shouted at the official, as noted in several videos circulating on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter).
“It’s a tough day. We need to assess everything, but from within, I feel we lacked more control, especially on their counterattacks. I believe we deserved more goals across the three matches, particularly in the second and third games,” the left-back analyzed in the mixed zone.
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“Today I think we were the superior team; we dominated, but they came close four times and scored three goals. There are clearly things to correct, but it’s a disappointing day. We aimed to win, but we must congratulate the opposing team, and all we can do is process what has happened, make corrections, and hope this experience serves us in the future,” the Spaniard added after the match.
The team led by Lionel Messi, Jordi Alba, Luis Suárez, and Sergio Busquets claimed the MLS Supporters’ Shield this year (the trophy for the best team in the regular season) and set a league record with 74 points.
However, this Saturday they exited the MLS Cup playoffs early against an Atlanta United side that finished ninth in the East during the regular season with just 40 points, entering the playoffs as the eighth seed through the wild card, and currently undergoing a rebuild under interim coach Rob Valentino.
Jordi Alba noted that it was a “good season” in MLS for the pink-clad team as the regular season’s best side and in points. “But what we wanted was to win these playoffs,” he clarified.
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“In my opinion, I’m not the one to change how competition should be conducted, but I find this format a bit unfair. It’s clear that this has been the way for many years, but if you ask me, I believe it should be the conference champion against the other conference champion to make it as fair as possible,” he added.
The former Barcelona player praised Atlanta United’s performance, particularly highlighting the “spectacular” display from goalkeeper Brad Guzan. “Their keeper stopped everything and more,” he admitted.
“We did many things well, but also quite a few things wrong (…). We didn’t expect this, but that’s football. When you waste chances and concede goals cheaply, it’s very difficult to win,” he said.
