Atlanta moves on to East final after win over NYCFC
ATLANTA — Josef Martinez scored two goals and Atlanta United won the first playoff series in franchise history, knocking off New York City FC 3-1 in the second leg of the Eastern Conference semifinals Sunday.
Atlanta won the two-game series 4-1 on aggregate, finishing off the visiting team with Martinez’s second goal on a breakaway in the 83rd minute. The game drew a crowd of 70,526 — another attendance record for the 2-year-old franchise that has quickly developed one of the world’s most rabid soccer followings.
The victory made up for the bitter disappointment of Atlanta United’s inaugural season, when the expansion team made the playoffs but lost a knockout-round game at home to Columbus on penalties.
Atlanta claimed a big edge in the series by winning the first leg, 1-0 at Yankee Stadium. United, which finished two points behind New York Red Bulls in the Supporters’ Shield standings, returned home merely needing a tie to go through to the Eastern Conference final. They got more than that, earning a spot in the conference final against either Columbus or the Red Bulls.
Miguel Almiron also scored for United. Maxime Chanot scored for New York City.
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