On Thursday, Inter Miami’s preseason game in Saudi Arabia, which had been promoted around the globe as a battle between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, turned into a nightmare. Messi sat out the opening 82 minutes of the encounter against Al Nassr due to soreness after Monday’s defeat against Al Hilal. Inter Miami let up three goals in the opening 12 minutes and was humiliated 6-0 by the Saudi club. The Argentine star made a surprise appearance in the 83rd minute as Saudi supporters at Kingdom Arena chanted his name throughout the game. However, Miami was already a lost cause when he arrived.
On Thursday, Inter Miami’s preseason game in Saudi Arabia, which had been promoted around the globe as a battle between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, turned into a nightmare. Messi sat out the opening 82 minutes of the encounter against Al Nassr due to soreness after Monday’s defeat against Al Hilal. Inter Miami let up three goals in the opening 12 minutes and was humiliated 6-0 by the Saudi club. The Argentine star made a surprise appearance in the 83rd minute as Saudi supporters at Kingdom Arena chanted his name throughout the game. However, Miami was already a lost cause when he arrived.
He was anticipated to be left off the roster for Thursday’s game, but instead made the bench.
Ronaldo watched the whole match from a suite owing to a calf ailment, which forced Al Nassr to postpone two games in China last week. During the first half, television cameras moved away to Ronaldo and Messi, with the Portuguese star grinning and his Argentine opponent looking dejected while his teammates labored all over the field.
Anderson Talisca, a Brazilian footballer, scored three goals for Al Nassr. His first score came in the tenth minute. His second goal came from a penalty kick in the 51st minute, followed by his third in the 73rd. Otavio scored the Saudis’ first goal in the third minute. Aymeric Laporte scored in the 12th minute, followed by Mohammed Khalil Marran in the 68th. With each goal scored by Al Nassr, Inter Miami supporters’ social media criticism became worse. Al Nassr outshot Miami 21-12 and had 14 shots on goal, while Miami only had three.
Inter Miami coach Tata Martino was not accessible to the media, but wingback Julian Gressel said that the coach was more enthusiastic than normal after halftime, when Miami trailed 3-0. “Obviously not the result we wanted, but obviously, a lot of lessons to take,” Gressel went on to say. “We have a lot to learn and develop from.
There’s a lot we can look at on video, but it all begins with a strong start to the game. You can’t be down 3–0 after 12 minutes. Those are the things you learn throughout the preseason.” Martino said that the squad will be cautious in managing players’ minutes throughout the seven-game, five-country preseason tour, and that his major goal was to keep the team healthy and ready for the start of the MLS season on February 21 at home against Real Salt Lake. Gressel emphasized that the club wants to perform at its peak when the season begins.
“Ultimately, when the time comes, when it counts for us, that’s when we want to be at our best and these games are valuable, even though they sting quite a bit,” Gressel went on to say. while asked how tough it is to play preseason games while Inter Miami is under such intense scrutiny and pressure, Gressel said: “I believe it is beneficial to have games like these to prepare for the season. These aren’t your typical preseason games, which I’ve played in the past against other MLS clubs while wearing training gear. These are actual games, which will bode well for us. Gressel praised Saudi supporters’ backing for Messi and Inter Miami. “He’s a popular guy, for sure.”
The squad has three preseason games remaining: Monday in Hong Kong, Tuesday in Tokyo, and February 15 at home against Argentine club Newell’s Old Boys, Messi and Martino’s hometown team. Details about Messi’s most recent injury are unclear. He missed the last stretch of the 2023 season due to a chronic hamstring issue. The game between Inter Miami and Al Nassr was touted as “The Last Dance,” since it may be the last time spectators saw the legends square off. Miami’s starting Thursday were Leo Campana, Luis Suarez, David Ruiz, Sergio Busquets, Gregore, Jordi Alba, Noah Allen, Serhiy Kryvtsov, Tomas Aviles, Julian Gressel, and Drake Callender. In the 69th minute, Alba was replaced by DeAndre Yedlin, and Suarez by Robert Taylor.
Messi replaced Campana in the 83rd minute, while Lawson Sunderland took over for Ruiz in the 84th. Nicolas Freire, an Argentine center defender who was just recruited on loan from Mexican league PUMAS, has yet to appear for Inter Miami. According to a club spokeswoman, he is still adjusting to the squad since he came at training camp later than the other players. Gressel was asked whether Thursday’s outcome was an indictment on MLS or a sign that the Saudi Pro League is moving forward. He said, “I don’t believe you can compare. We are still in the early stages of the process, having just been together for three weeks after a few months off. So you can’t truly compare.
I suppose we’d want to have a rematch at some time. That’s the competitor in me, maybe in an official tournament like as the Club World Cup.” Inter Miami transferred defender Christopher McVey to D.C. United in return for a position on the 2024 international roster and up to $100,000 in general allocation money provided he achieves specific performance criteria. The squad also sent midfielder Nicolas Stefanelli to Fehervar FC in Hungary.
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