By Tiffany Williams –
Atlanta United FC dominated the New England Revolution in their home opener at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Saturday night, winning the game 4-1. Giorgos Giakoumakis was the star of the match, scoring three goals, while Thiago Almada also scored for Atlanta United in the 45th minute.
Atlanta United took control of the game in the second half, with Giakoumakis scoring his first goal in the 55th minute and his second in the 60th minute with a header from the center of the box, assisted by Brooks Lennon. In the 74th minute, Giakoumakis completed his hat-trick with a left-footed shot from a difficult angle on the left to the top right corner, putting Atlanta United ahead 4-0.
Although Carles Gil scored a consolation goal for New England in the 84th minute, it was too little too late.
After the match, Giakoumakis expressed his satisfaction with his performance and the team’s victory, saying, “If you score four, five goals, you send a message. It’s good to do that because so far we haven’t shown anything offensively, we’re trying to figure out how we’re going to connect to each other again… so hopefully, that’s the start.”
Atlanta United head coach Gonzalo Pineda was also pleased with the team’s performance, especially Giakoumakis’ hat-trick. “Of course I’m very happy about him [Giakoumakis] scoring three goals, but the team comes first,” Pineda said during his post-match press conference. “Very happy. It’s a good reward for everyone. [It was] a good night.”
Meanwhile, New England head coach Caleb Porter was disappointed with his team’s performance, especially their inability to convert their chances. “We’re in the game and we’re executing well, and we should be up in the match and then we give up that goal,” Porter said. Despite the loss, he remained confident that his team would bounce back in their next game.
Sports Talk New England 