Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez struggled to beat Al Hilal in a Saudi friendly, but Inter Miami’s performance was impressive in the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh. Al Hilal won 4-3 despite a valiant effort from the Major League Soccer team.
Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez struggled to beat Al Hilal in a Saudi friendly
Al Hilal took the lead in the 10th minute as former Fulham striker Aleksandar Mitrovic finished a well-worked move. An Inter Miami defensive blunder by Noah Allen allowed Abdullah Al-Hamdan to extend the lead three minutes later. So, Miami’s perseverance paid off when Luis Suarez scored in the 34th minute. VAR overturned the offside call, putting Miami back in contention.
Al Hilal restored their two-goal lead when Brazilian forward Michael headed home an Al-Hamdan cross to end the first half. Strong second half was expected.After a controversial foul on David Ruiz, Lionel Messi converted a penalty in the 54th minute to spark a Miami comeback. Ruiz’s powerful shot tied the game at 3-3. These were key moments for both sides.
Al Hilal’s Brazilian forward Malcom scored an 88th-minute header to win the Saudi Pro League game 4-3. After losing, Inter Miami showed the resilience and drive fans may anticipate in the upcoming Major League Soccer season, which begins on February 21. The team gained crucial experience for their second friendly against Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia on Thursday and upcoming matches in Hong Kong and Japan.
