Lionel Messi and Inter Miami wrapped up their eventful Major League Soccer preseason with a 1-1 draw towards Messi’s childhood workforce, Newell’s Old Boys, on Thursday night.
It marked the primary encounter between the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner and the membership, the place each he and Inter Miami coach Gerardo “Tata” Martino grew up in Rosario, Argentina.
Messi, who performed for Newell’s as a toddler earlier than becoming a member of FC Barcelona, confirmed indicators of his common brilliance on the sector regardless of not making a major influence on the sport.
Messi had missed a Feb. 4 preseason win in Hong Kong due to nagging accidents. He stayed on the bench for your entire recreation with a groin damage as followers booed and demanded refunds.
Messi checked out of the sport Thursday with Inter Miami’s Luis Suarez within the sixtieth minute. That’s when a younger fan sprinted onto the sector along with his arms stretched towards Messi earlier than being intercepted by safety.
Shanyder Borgelin put Inter Miami forward 1-0 with a header within the sixty fourth minute, and Newell’s Franco Díaz tied it within the 83rd minute.
Messi’s first MLS preseason was messy. Inter Miami set off on a world tour of exhibition video games geared toward promotion and advertising and marketing, that includes Messi and the Uruguayan star Suarez. But the tour acquired principally dangerous PR, in addition to not-so-great outcomes on the sector.
Inter Miami was outscored 12-7 in its first 5 video games earlier than a win in Hong Kong. That victory was extremely overshadowed by offended followers when neither Messi nor Suarez took the sector.
“We understand the disappointment of the fans for the absence of Leo (Messi) and Luis Suarez,” Martino stated after that recreation. “We understand a lot of fans are very disappointed and we ask for their forgiveness. We wish we could have sent Leo and Luis on for at least a while but the risk was too big.”
Inter Miami will now flip its consideration to the 2024 common season, hoping for higher success after fizzling late final season. The membership will host Real Salt Lake on Feb. 21.
Source: www.dailysabah.com