TOKIO-. Coming off the bench, the Argentine star Lionel Messi He played the last half hour of the friendly match between Inter Miami and the Vissel Kobe (0-0), the last of the Asian tour for the team from the MLSplayed this Wednesday in Japan.
Unlike what happened to the Hong Kong fans last Sunday, who were unable to see Messi in action due to some discomfort, the 28,614 fans who gathered at the Tokyo Olympic Stadium were able to see the Argentine play. although only the last half hour.
“In training yesterday (Tuesday) he told us that he was feeling better. We agreed then that he was going to play 30 minutes,” declared Inter’s coach, Gerardo Martino, after the game.
In the 60th minute of the match, Messi entered the field applauded by the public and the Argentine responded with several trademark millimeter passes and some diabolical dribbles, despite the cold in the Japanese capital.
The former Barcelona and PSG player even had a double chance to give his team the victory, but Messi crashed twice into rival goalkeeper Arai in two one-on-ones.
It was the most intense moment of a preparation match in which there was little to highlight, except for an acrobatic overhead kick by Uruguayan Luis Suárez that grazed the post of the Japanese team’s goal.
Last Sunday, in Hong Kong and against a selection of players from the local league, Messi was left without playing in Inter Miami’s 4-1 victory, causing boos from the almost 40,000 spectators who witnessed the match live, some arrived from mainland China, paying a high price for tickets.
Controversy in Hong Kong
This incident even became a matter of state, with the Hong Kong authorities showing their frustration and discontent at the absence of the ball idol, who was suffering from some ailments.
At a press conference on Tuesday, the former Barcelona player apologized and maintained the suspense about his participation in the match in Tokyo: “I don’t know if I can or not, but I feel much better and I really want to be able to do it.”
In the end it was half an hour. Less than nothing.
Inter Miami, which has stars such as Luis Suárez, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba in its ranks, in addition to Messi, closes its Asian preseason tour in Tokyo, in which it has only won one of the five games played.
Preparation for the new MLS season, which will begin on February 21, will conclude next week with a friendly against Newell’s Old Boys.
Source: AFP
