New England Revolution triumphs over Atlanta United with 2-1 win

A late header from Daniel Rios was not enough to overcome a two-goal deficit as Atlanta United fell 2-1 to New England Revolution at Gillette Stadium on Wednesday night.

Despite a promising start, Atlanta United were behind early in the game. In the 11th minute, Giacomo Vrioni scored for New England, taking advantage of a long pass from DeJuan Jones and cleverly beating Derrick Williams to give the Red Devils a 1-0 lead.

New England extended their lead just before halftime. Noel Buck’s precise left-footed lob found Vrioni, who headed in his second goal of the night to give the home side a 2-0 lead.

Atlanta United showed resilience in the second half, creating plenty of chances but failing to capitalize on them. Brooks Lennon noted the improvement, saying: “The game opened up a little bit more for us and we created a lot of chances that we didn’t capitalize on, which ultimately led to a loss.”

Atlanta United came close to scoring in first-half injury time when Bartosz Slisz’s powerful shot was saved by New England goalkeeper Aljaz Ivacic, who made a total of six saves throughout the game. Jay Fortune’s volley on the rebound also forced Ivacic into another crucial save.

In the 61st minute, Rios intercepted a pass and set up Fortune for a shot from the edge of the box, but Ivacic remained unshaken. Atlanta United’s defence also had to remain vigilant, with Derrick Williams and Stian Gregersen preventing Vrioni from scoring a hat-trick in the 74th minute. Although Vrioni appeared to score moments later, the goal was disallowed for offside.

Atlanta United finally found the back of the net in the 91st minute. Substitute Ronald Hernández delivered a precise cross that Ríos headed in for his fourth goal of the season. However, the late effort was not enough to change the outcome.