In a thrilling match at the Riyadh Season Cup in Saudi Arabia, Inter Miami, led by Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez, faced a 4-3 defeat against Al Hilal. Messi’s efforts to spark a comeback were overshadowed by Al Hilal’s Malcom, who scored the game-winning goal in the 88th minute.
Luis Suarez marked his first goal with Inter Miami in the 34th minute, assisted by Jordi Alba after a VAR intervention overturned an initial offside decision. However, Al Hilal took an early lead with goals from Aleksandar Mitrović and Abdullah Al-Hamdan in the 10th and 13th minutes, leaving Inter Miami in disbelief.
Messi, displaying his goal-scoring prowess, converted a penalty in the 54th minute, and 19-year-old David Ruiz added another goal just one minute later to level the match at 3-3. The comeback, however, was thwarted by Malcom’s late strike for Al Hilal.
Despite Suarez’s earlier goal being disallowed initially, VAR confirmed the goal was valid as the ball was played by an Al Hilal defender. The match showcased the offensive capabilities of Inter Miami but also highlighted defensive vulnerabilities.
As Messi left the pitch in the 88th minute, Inter Miami, in their third match of the preseason tour, showed resilience despite eight offside penalties. The team will face Al Nassr on Thursday, with uncertainty surrounding Cristiano Ronaldo’s participation due to a calf injury.
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