Late Heroics Lift Atlanta United to 3-2 Comeback Victory Over Orlando City at the Benz

ATLANTA — Atlanta United delivered a dramatic comeback Wednesday night at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, scoring two late goals to claim a thrilling 3-2 win over Orlando City SC in front of 39,275 fans. The Five Stripes earned their second consecutive home victory thanks to goals from Alexey Miranchuk, Bartosz Slisz, and Jamal Thiaré, as they now prepare for a challenging six-match road stretch.

Orlando struck early in the 4th minute to set the tone. Martín Ojeda found Marco Pašalić near the top of the penalty area, where César Araújo surged in to fire a precise shot into the bottom left corner, giving the visitors an early 1-0 lead.

Atlanta responded in the 19th minute with a fluid team move. Jay Fortune’s interception deep in Orlando’s half sparked a quick transition as Slisz and Miranchuk worked the ball across to Saba Lobjanidze. The winger’s low cross deflected inside the box and found Miranchuk, who buried a volley to level the match — his second goal of the season.

The Lions regained the lead in the 32nd minute. Ojeda launched a long ball over the Atlanta backline, and a misplayed back pass by Derrick Williams allowed Ramiro Enrique to pounce, slotting home his chance to put Orlando ahead 2-1.

Atlanta’s captain Brad Guzan came up big early in the second half, making a vital kick save on Ojeda’s close-range effort after Pašalić’s initial shot clanged off the post.

The game shifted dramatically in the 68th minute when head coach Ronny Deila made a decisive triple substitution, introducing Pedro Amador, Mateusz Klich, and Jamal Thiaré. Just two minutes later, Amador nearly made it 2-2 with a powerful volley that narrowly missed the upper corner.

Atlanta gained a numerical advantage in the 77th minute when Araújo was shown a straight red card for grabbing Klich’s throat after the whistle, giving the home side momentum in the final stretch.

The equalizer came in the 83rd minute after Orlando failed to clear an Amador cross. Miranchuk retrieved the ball at the top of the box and laid it off for Slisz, who unleashed a shot that ricocheted off the left post and into the net to make it 2-2.

With stoppage time ticking down, Atlanta found the winner in the 95th minute. Miranchuk lofted a pinpoint cross to Lobjanidze, who chested it down and found Thiaré inside the six-yard box. The forward calmly slotted home his third goal of the year to complete the comeback and ignite the home crowd.

“They lost their heads, and we got the win, and now we need to do it away. We haven’t won away still yet, so there is a lot more to do, but we need to have a purpose and just go for it,” said Atlanta United Head Coach Ronny Deila. “We still need more from everybody to believe in ourselves. We have some good quality, but we need to fight, fight for everything.”

With the win, Atlanta United (4-7-5, 17 points) picks up critical momentum ahead of a lengthy road trip. The team returns to action on Saturday, May 31, facing the New York Red Bulls at Sports Illustrated Stadium. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET.