Messi started his 5th consecutive match for Inter Miami and also… missed his chance as usual!

This was Inter Miami's last training match, and coach Mascherano used almost his strongest lineup. The quartet of Messi, Jordi Alba, Luis Suarez and Sergio Busquets continued to play from the start like the previous 4 matches. New recruits including defender Lujan, striker Segovia, and Tadeo Allende were all named in the starting lineup.

Messi played energetically, but missed many scoring opportunities.

However, Inter Miami struggled against Orlando City, who they beat 5-0 and drew 0-0 with in their two previous meetings in MLS (Major League Soccer). Inter Miami's biggest weakness is their defense, which once again worries Messi and his teammates in attack.

It was the defensive errors that allowed Orlando City players to take advantage of the opportunity to score twice to open the score at 1-0 in the 15th minute (scored by Martin Ojeda) and increase the score to 2-1 in the 58th minute (scored by Ramiro Enrique).

Intermittently, efforts helped Inter Miami tie the score 1-1 thanks to rookie Tadeo Allende scoring in the 22nd minute after an assist from Suarez. And a last-minute goal by striker Fafa Picault scored in the 90+3 minute to tie the score 2-2.

Meanwhile, Messi and Suarez were used by the coach for about 75 minutes in the final training match before the new season. These two veteran players played energetically and tried hard, creating many opportunities. However, neither of them scored any goals. Suarez made his mark with an assist for Allende to equalize 1-1, while Messi missed many good chances, including his signature free kick in front of the penalty area in the first half.

Inter Miami Unbeaten Ahead of New Season, But There's Still Work to Do

In the training matches, Messi scored 2 goals and had 2 assists after 5 pre-season matches, Suarez also scored 1 goal and had 1 assist. Newcomers Picault and Allende also contributed goals.

This helped Inter Miami have an unbeaten streak, including two draws with Club America (2-2) and Universitario (0-0), but both wins came after penalty shootouts. In addition, they won 3-1 against Sporting San Miguelito (Panama), 5-0 against Olimpia (Honduras) and a 2-2 draw with Orlando City.

After the final training match, Messi and his teammates will enter the first official match of the 2025 season against Sporting Kansas City in the first leg of the first round of the CONCACAF Champions Cup at 8:00 a.m. on February 19. Meanwhile, they will play the opening match of the MLS season against New York City FC at 2:30 a.m. on February 23.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/messi-da-chinh-tran-thu-5-lien-tiep-cho-inter-miami-va-cung-bo-lo-co-hoi-nhu-thuong-185250215100523536.htm