Inter Miami lose friendly match against Vissel Kobe; Lionel Messi back in action

Vissel Kobe vs Inter Miami was decided on penalties

Inter Miami suffered yet another defeat during their pre-season. This time the MLS team played against a Japanese outfit Vissel Kobe.

Lionel Messi was back on the field for Inter Miami after missing their last outing against Hong Kong XI. The fans were disappointed last time as the Argentine didn’t play even a single minute in Hong Kong.

After Inter Miami’s defeat against Al Hilal in their first match in Saudi Arabia, the Argentine remained a doubt for his side’s second match against Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al Nassr. Fans were eagerly waiting for another head-to-head clash between these two legends. However, Ronaldo was ruled out before the match and Messi only played for around 10 minutes.

Inter Miami headed into this match with a bit of momentum. A 6-0 loss against Al Nassr was followed by a win over Hong Kong XI.

Luis Suarez, Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets started the match and Messi was on the bench. Vissel Kobe, on the other hand, had three former Bundesliga players in their starting 11. Yuyo Osaka led their attack. He stuck the crossbar in the 15-minute.

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There was a setback for the MLS side as Sergio Busquets got injured in the 25th minute. The manager was taking no chance and replaced the player. The first half ended goalless.

In the second half, fans were on their feet when they saw Lionel Messi ready on the touchline on the hour mark. The Argentine played the remainder of the match. A goalless match was decided on penalties. Messi attempted two shots during the match and both were on target.

Vissel Kobe won the match 4-3 on penalties. Robert Taylor missed two penalties during the shootout. Messi didn’t step up to take a spot-kick.

Inter Miami are set to play Messi’s boyhood team Newell’s Old Boys in their next match.

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