Messi played 60 minutes and made little of an impression in Inter Miami’s 1-1 tie with Newell’s Old Boys.
On February 16, Inter Miami hosted Newell’s Old Boys in a preseason friendly. Taking the field with the strongest team, including Messi, Suarez, and Alba, Inter Miami initially dominated the game and generated several threatening opportunities. In the 18th minute, after Yedlin’s pass on the right flank, Inter Miami player Gomez received the ball in front of the goal but was unable to finish.
Despite high expectations, Messi and Suarez did not perform well and exited the field in the 60th minute. Messi took three shots, all of which missed the target. Messi’s poor performance can be attributed to the fact that he has recently returned from injury and is not in peak physical condition. Messi played for Newell’s Old Boys, a team headquartered in Rosario, Argentina, before heading to Barcelona.
Only three minutes after Messi and Suarez departed the pitch, the man who replaced Borgelin scored Inter Miami’s first goal with a close-range header. Campana confronted the goalie of Newell’s Old Boys in the 80th minute after Borgelin’s ball, but was unable to finish.
Inter Miami paid the price in the 83rd minute after missing an unlucky opportunity to end the match. Franco Diz snatched the ball and sprinted down to beat goalkeeper Callender in a face-off, equalizing 1-1 for the visiting team after Inter Miami’s Ryan Sailor failed to pass. In the remaining minutes, neither team scored another goal, and the score remained 1-1 until the end of the official 90 minutes.
Inter Miami’s first match in the 2024 American Professional Soccer League will be on February 22 in the morning against Salt Lake.
