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FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Lionel Messi raises his hands as he leaves the pitch, preparing for Inter Miami’s final preseason game against his childhood club in Argentina on Thursday from nearby. He expressed his gratitude to the fans who came all the way.
Messi missed a free kick in Thursday night’s 1-1 draw with Newell’s Old Boys and missed a chance to find the back of the net after darting through several defenders over the course of 60 minutes. .
Good news: Messi appears to be perfectly healthy. He ran hard and fast with purpose and energy, dribbling between defenders with his gas pedal fully pressed. Messi did not appear to be affected by the hip adductor injury that caused outrage in Hong Kong when he missed a friendly earlier this month.
Inter Miami coach Tata Martino said after the match that Messi was feeling well and believed that Messi had “made a full recovery.”
Martino said Messi was scheduled to play 45 minutes but ended up playing 57 minutes against Newell’s. Messi’s play has almost doubled compared to the last trip to Tokyo, where he played the last 30 minutes. The hope is that he can continue to improve over the final few days before the season starts next Wednesday.
With Inter Miami’s 2024 MLS season opener just six days away, Messi still has a bit of rust left in him, and he had two great chances to send fans home with highlight plays, but they didn’t materialize. It can be seen from this.
Messi missed a free kick just outside the left side of the goal in the 37th minute.th Minutes. His kicks didn’t have enough bend. Fans are used to seeing some of the best highlights of his career from him in the same scenario.
Messi also missed a shot in the 31st minute after rushing toward the net between defenders.cent His kick also missed to the left.
Messi usually doesn’t miss out on such opportunities often, unless he gets injured or is returning from a significant layoff.
Messi left the pitch in the 60sth At that moment, a young fan ran onto the pitch to try to get to him, but security guards met him and took him away.
In the stands of the DRV PNK Stadium, the red and black jersey of Newell’s Old Boys, the Argentine club where Messi first played when he was six years old, joined those of Argentina and Inter Miami.
In the 65th minute, Inter Miami’s Shanider Bolgelin scored a header, and in the 83rd minute, Newell’s Franco Diaz scored to tie the game.
Inter Miami finished their preseason tour around the world with one win, two draws, and four losses (one of which was a penalty shootout).
When does Inter Miami’s season start?
Messi and Inter Miami will play their first match of the 2024 MLS season at home against Real Salt Lake on February 21st, before traveling to face the Los Angeles Galaxy on February 25th.
Franco Diaz scores a goal Newell’s Old Boys: Inter Miami 1, Newell’s 1
There’s a reason Newells fans are cheering in the stands: 23-year-old Franco Diaz scores in the 83rd minute.rd Minutes until this game is tied at 1.
It wasn’t the best defense from Inter Miami goalie Drake Callender, and there were nine minutes left in the game until overtime.
Shanider Bolgelin goals: Inter Miami 1, Newells 0
Inter Miami’s Shanider Bolgelin scores a header in the 65th minute.th minutes giving his team a 1-0 lead in the match.
Bolgelin rose past the Newell’s defenders and connected the ball from a corner kick minutes after Messi left the pitch.
Messi and Suarez left in the 60sth Minutes: Inter Miami 0, Newell’s 0
Lionel Messi raised his hands in the air and applauded the fans at his new home stadium.Messi left the pitch in the 60sth As the minutes passed, his night was over.
Luis Suarez and Julian Gressel also left the Inter Miami game.
Meanwhile, Inter Miami players have 30 minutes left until the end of preseason.
Messi misses a free kick in the 37th minute: Inter Miami 0, Newells 0
Lionel Messi went for a free-kick in goal, but there is still a bit of rust that needs to be shaken off.
Messi missed the shot just outside the left side of the goal.
Messi’s most popular free-kick didn’t curve enough to end up in the back of the net.
Messi misses a shot in the 31st minute: Inter Miami 0, Newells 0
Messi tried his best to get into position. However, his left foot missed the left side of the goal.
Fans in the stadium rose to their feet expecting a highlight moment, but were left disappointed after Messi’s mistake.
Still, Messi’s health should no longer be an issue after that moment when he moved between several defenders and took a shot with ease.
Luis Suarez has no fouls according to VAR: Inter Miami 0, Newells 0
Luis Suarez put on a show after a scramble in the goal area, but a video review showed there was no penalty at all.
The VAR decision is expected to be announced by officials on the pitch during the 2024 MLS season, but the referee said, “After consideration, the on-field decision is not yet a penalty.”
While the play was being video reviewed, Messi had a long conversation with Newell’s goalkeeper.
Messi made two passes to Gomez in the 11th and 15th minutes: Inter Miami 0, Newells 0
Lionel Messi appears to be almost 100 percent healthy following the hip adductor injury he suffered in Asia earlier this month.
Messi runs hard and fast and chooses the moments to influence the game.
Messi had a chance to assist in the open field in front of the penalty area, but in the 11th minute the Newells defense converged before Diego Gomez could get the ball or the ball into the net.th Minutes.
About four minutes later, Messi had a chance to target Gomez inside the penalty area, but a defender deflected the ball. Gomez was also offside.
Nicolas Freire almost scores: Inter Miami 0, Newells 0
Inter Miami’s Nicolas Freire almost scored in the second minute of the game, his first goal for the club since his contract was finalized on January 23.
The Argentina player’s header unfortunately missed the right side of the goal.
Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez in Inter Miami’s starting lineup
As expected, Lionel Messi is in Inter Miami’s starting lineup for tonight’s match against his former club.
The same goes for Luis Suarez, who felt discomfort in his knee during Inter Miami’s preseason tour.
The lineups for both teams are as follows.
How long will Messi play?
Messi is expected to start Thursday’s game, and with Inter Miami’s season opener six days away, Martino said his playing time could be extended.
Messi missed a match in Hong Kong earlier this month due to a groin injury, angering Chinese fans and officials, but returned to action in Tokyo and played 30 minutes against Japanese champions Vissel Kobe. , he showed almost his full strength.
“If everything goes as it is, [Messi] “It will be good for the beginning of the season,” Martino said.
What did Messi say about the injury?
In an unusual press conference held in Tokyo on February 6, Messi said he had suffered a hip adductor injury sustained while in Saudi Arabia for two matches on January 29 and 31. An MRI scan revealed no damage, but Messi said he still felt discomfort.
“Unfortunately, it happens in soccer and injuries can happen in any game. It just so happened that I couldn’t take part in the game in Hong Kong. I always wanted to take part, I always wanted to take part, “It was very disappointing because we were playing so hard, especially in a match like this on a trip. We went far away and people were really excited to see us play,” Messi said. .
Lionel Messi’s injury timeline: What caused Messi’s hip adductor injury?
∎January 29: Messi scored from a penalty and played until the 88th minute against Saudi giants Al Hilal, where he suffered his first injury.
∎January 31st: Messi trained at Inter Miami the day before the match against Al Nasr, leading to an MRI scan.
∎February 1: Messi did not start, but came on as a substitute in Cristiano Ronaldo’s match against Al Nasr. He came on in the 83rd minute and played cautiously through the six minutes of extra time.
∎February 3: Messi ran around the Hong Kong Stadium and took part in a light training session with his Inter Miami teammates.
∎February 4: Messi was listed as a substitute on Inter Miami’s roster for the match against Hong Kong, but Inter Miami did not include him in the roster published on social media. he didn’t play.
∎February 6: Messi revealed that he injured his hip adductor muscle and felt discomfort. Messi said his injury was an “unfortunate” situation and he hopes to play again in Hong Kong if the opportunity arises.
∎February 7: Messi came on in the 60th minute and played until the end in the match between Inter Miami and Vissel Kobe in Tokyo, giving almost his full effort.
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