Inter Miami’s disastrous pre-season tour ends in penalty defeat in Japan as Lionel Messi is fit enough to come off the bench but Sergio Busquets goes off injured… before the Barcelona legends reunite with Andres Iniesta
- Inter Miami’s disastrous pre-season tour ended in defeat in Tokyo on Wednesday
- Lionel Messi came off the bench after failing to appear in Hong Kong last week
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Inter Miami’s disastrous pre-season tour has finally come to a fitting end after they were beaten on penalties by Japanese side Vissel Kobe and saw Sergio Busquets go off injured.
David Beckham‘s MLS franchise have travelled across the globe in recent weeks, playing two friendlies in Saudi Arabia and one each in both Hong Kong and Japan as they prepare for the new MLS season.
Beckham was roundly booed and fans were chanting ‘refund’ in Hong Kong on Sunday, however, after star man Lionel Messi didn’t come off the bench throughout.
The former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain forward had been suffering with a hamstring issue and only played for seven minutes against Cristiano Ronaldo‘s Al-Nassr just days earlier.
After leaving fans guessing whether or not he would take to the pitch, Messi came on in the 60th minute in Tokyo.
Vissel Kobe won Wednesday’s match 4-3 in a penalty shootout after the match ended in a 0-0 draw. Messi, a record eight-time Ballon d’Or winner, did not take part in the shootout.
The silence at the Tokyo stadium was deafening at times during the mostly uninspiring match between the J-League champions and Inter Miami.
The crowd erupted in the loudest cheers of the night when Messi started to warm up shortly after halftime, and the Argentine World Cup winner’s face was shown on the big screen.
Messi admitted before the game that he was ready to ‘return home’ and he was ‘a little tired’ from the travel.
‘I’m a little tired from this whole tour, [I have] a desire to finish up the last game and to return home,’ he said during a press conference.
Veteran midfielder Busquets may face a race against time to be fit for their season-opener though after he went off after just 25 minutes.
The Spaniard was on the receiving end of a nasty tackle that saw his opponent stamp on his ankle and follow through.
Before the game, Messi, Busquets, Luis Suarez and Jordi Alba reunited with their former Barcelona teammate Andres Iniesta.
The Spaniard – regarded as one of the best midfields to every play soccer – played for the Japanese club for five years after leaving the Nou Camp in 2018.
The five teammates stood for a picture together before Iniesta addressed the crowd ahead of kickoff.
Inter Miami are now heading home and play one more friendly – against Messi’s boyhood club Newell’s Old Boys – on February 15 before the MLS season starts.
They are hoping to improve on their performance from last season and reach the MLS playoffs. They play Real Salt Lake on the opening day of the season on February 21.
