Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez scored their first goal together in the new season but still suffered a bitter defeat against Al Hilal.
In the early morning of January 30, Inter Miami faced Al Hilal within the framework of the 2024 Riyadh Season Cup friendly match series.
The Saudi Pro League team dominated the first half, scoring three goals in 45 minutes, including two in a row.
Premier League veteran Aleksandar Mitrovic scored the opening goal, giving Al Hilal the lead after just 10 minutes. Three minutes later, Abdullah Al-Hamdan scored another goal to double the gap.
Al Hilal appeared superior to Inter Miami in the first half. Photo: GETTY.
Luis Suarez brought Inter Miami back when he scored his first goal in an Inter Miami shirt in the 34th minute, but Michael’s 44th-minute goal from Al Hilal and the celebration inspired by Cristiano Ronaldo afterwards made Inter Miami have to sadly end the first half with a lead.
The second half, however, was a whole new situation as the MLS side clawed their way back into the match. The first was Mess’s successful penalty in the 54th minute. Just one minute later, David Ruiz shined by scoring the equalizer (3-3).
Messi successfully executed the penalty kick to help Inter Miami shorten the score to 2-3. Photo: GETTY.
However, Al Hilal took advantage of the home field advantage very well and played bravely in the last minutes. Brazilian winger Malcom’s goal in the 88th minute sealed the victory for the Saudi Arabian team. crushed Inter Miami’s hopes, and the match ended with a breathtaking 4-3 victory for Al Hilal over Messi’s team.
Inter Miami will play in Saudi Arabia for one more match, with the second clash more anticipated. Lionel Messi and his teammates will face Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al Nassr at 1:00 a.m. on February 2 (Vietnam time), although the injury status of the Portuguese superstar is still uncertain in the near future. This.
All 3️⃣ of Al-Hilal's first-half goals against Inter Miami at Kingdom Arena 👌 pic.twitter.com/IVClD0YThb
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) January 29, 2024
