Orlando City SC rallies at Atlanta United behind Griezmann brace

An own goal by David Brekalo in the 6th minute gave Atlanta United a dream start at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. But the dream didn't last long: Orlando City SC turned the game around with goals from Antoine Griezmann (a brace) and Ivan Angulo, and although another own goal, this time by Tyrese Spicer in stoppage time, added some late drama, the match finished 2-3 in favor of the visitors.

The result leaves Atlanta United mired near the bottom of the Eastern Conference table, while Orlando City SC picks up three points that lift it, at least for one matchday, off the bottom of the standings.

How the scoring unfolded

The home side started better than it would finish. In the 6th minute, after a string of corners and chances around the Orlando box, a rebound off Brekalo went into his own net, putting Atlanta up 1-0 almost by accident. Orlando City SC, however, wasted little time responding: in the 25th minute, Antoine Griezmann connected on a close-range left-footed finish off a cross from Joran Gerbet to level the score.

The second half belonged entirely to the visitors. In the 57th minute, Ivan Angulo put Orlando ahead with a shot from the middle of the box assisted by Martin Ojeda, a goal that was only confirmed on the scoreboard a minute later after a VAR review. The home side tried to respond, but Orlando City SC struck again in the 76th minute: Griezmann notched his second goal of the night with a low shot just inside the post, assisted by Justin Ellis, making it 1-3.

In stoppage time, in the 96th minute, a cross from Mauricio Amaro was deflected into his own net by Tyrese Spicer, setting the final score at 2-3 to close out the match at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

The numbers behind the result

The stats make clear who carried the weight of the match. Orlando City SC controlled possession and was far sharper in front of goal.

Our expected goals estimate based on the match's shots also backs up the visitors' dominance: Orlando City SC generated 3.563 xG compared to Atlanta's 1.544. With seven big chances against just two for the home side, Orlando was clearly superior in creating danger, even if the scoreline took a while to fully reflect it.

What the preview said versus what happened

Before the match, our projection gave Orlando City SC a 42% chance of winning, against 33% for Atlanta United and 25% for a draw, with total expected goals of 3.42 (1.61 for the home side and 1.81 for the visitors). The result ended up aligning with that visitor favoritism, though the final score, with five total goals and two of them own goals, slightly exceeded that goal expectation.

What the match leaves behind

For Atlanta United, the loss confirms a difficult season in the Eastern Conference, where the club has posted a record of 6 wins, 4 draws and 14 losses in 24 matches played. Orlando City SC, for its part, improves its record to 9 wins, 4 draws and 11 losses, though it still carries a negative goal difference in the competition. Griezmann was the standout figure of the night with his brace, but the number that matters most is the overall control Orlando exerted for much of the 90 minutes, something the match stats and xG numbers ultimately confirm.