Messi and Suarez couldn't save Inter Miami.

Saudi Arabia's Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez both scored their first goals of 2024 when Inter Miami lost 3-4 to Al Hilal in the Riyadh Cup friendly tournament.

Goals: Mitrovic 10', Al-Hamdan 13', Michael 44', Malcom 88' - Suarez 34', Messi pen 54', Ruiz 55'.

After failing to score in two friendly matches against El Salvador and FC Dallas, Inter Miami flew to Saudi Arabia to begin their pre-season Asian tour. Their first match was against Saudi Pro League leaders Al Hilal at the Kingdom Stadium. As usual, coach Tata Martino deployed Messi alongside Suarez upfront. Behind them were two former Barcelona teammates, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba.

Messi, Suarez, and Busquets were disappointed after Inter Miami lost to Al Hilal. Photo: Reuters

Compared to their two previous matches – a 0-0 draw against El Salvador and a 0-1 loss to FC Dallas – Inter Miami played better. However, against an opponent in better form and with a more balanced squad, the American club only had 36% possession, making 10 shots, seven of which were on target, falling short compared to Al Hilal's 24 shots and 17 on target.

The home team took an early lead in the 10th minute after a well-executed triangular passing combination on the left wing. From behind, Aleksandar Mitrovic surged forward to receive the ball and curled a shot past goalkeeper Drake Callender. Al Hilal needed only three more minutes to double their lead, thanks to a low shot that hit the inside of the post from Saudi Arabian star Abdullah Al-Hamdan.

Inter Miami fought back despite considerable pressure from the home fans in the stands. In the 34th minute, following a dribble by Messi, Alba played a through pass to Julian Gressel, who was one-on-one with the goalkeeper. The midfielder hesitated for a moment before passing to Suarez, who shot into an empty net. The referee ruled it offside because Gressel's pass was too slow.

Suarez reacts after his goal is disallowed. Photo: Reuters

Suarez was furious with the decision. He turned to the linesman and complained. After reviewing VAR, Edina Alves Batista, the female referee in charge of the match, awarded the goal to the former Liverpool striker, determining that the ball came from an Al Hilal player, not a Gressel player. This was Suarez's first goal for Inter Miami.

However, Al Hilal quickly restored their two-goal lead before halftime. From Al-Hamdan's cross, Michael won the aerial duel with goalkeeper Callender to head the ball into the empty net.

At the start of the second half, Mohammed Jahfali fouled David Ruiz inside the penalty area, a foul detected by VAR. From the penalty spot, Messi struck the ball into the top right corner, deceiving goalkeeper Hbib Alwotayan. This was the Argentina captain's first goal of 2024. After scoring, he ran to the goal to retrieve the ball and urged his teammates to try and equalize.

Messi scored a penalty for Inter Miami. Photo: Reuters

Messi's words of encouragement seemed to pay off. Inter Miami equalized 3-3 just a minute later. Ruiz dribbled from the left wing into the center, beat an Al Hilal defender, and shot into the near corner, leaving Alwotayan helpless. After scoring, the 19-year-old midfielder was congratulated by both Alba and Messi.

However, two minutes before the end of the match, Al Hilal scored the winning goal. The scenario was similar to their third goal, with Yasser Alshahrani crossing from the right wing for Malcom to head the ball into the ground, beating Callender. Inter Miami's defense continued to demonstrate their poor aerial ability.

In their other Riyadh Cup match, Inter Miami will face Al Nassr on February 1st, with the spotlight on a potential clash between Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, should the Saudi Arabian striker recover from his injury in time. After this match, Inter Miami will travel to Hong Kong and Japan for friendlies before returning to the US to prepare for the new season.

Quang Huy

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