The first match of the highly anticipated Riyadh Season Cup 2024 took place Friday night at Kingdom Arena between Inter Miami CF of Major League Soccer and Al-Hilal, the current leaders of the Saudi Pro League. Many were taken aback when the oil-rich club shocked the Lionel Messi-led team in a thrilling seven-goal match, winning 4-3 despite missing players because of the 2023 AFC Asian Cup and Africa Cup of Nations ongoing regional championships. Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr and Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami CF will play each other in the upcoming Riyadh Season Cup 2024.
In an exciting opening match of the Riyadh Season Cup, Lionel Messi and his Inter Miami colleagues were defeated 4-3 by Al Hilal. In an exciting match, the Major League Soccer team bravely faced off against the Saudi Pro League leaders but ultimately lost. Inter Miami received an invitation to participate in the Riyadh Season Cup in 2024, where they would play two of Saudi Arabia’s top teams in a friendly match. In their first game together, Lionel Messi and his teammates were quickly made aware of the calibre of the opposition.
In the opening game of the Riyadh Season Cup 2024, Al-Hilal jumped out to an early 3-1 lead.
In the first half of the Riyadh Season Cup 2024 opening, Aleksandar Mitrović, Abdullah Al-Hamdan, and Michael scored goals for Al-Hilal, the current top side in the Saudi Pro League.
After being set up inside the penalty box by his international teammate Sergej Milinković-Savić, the former striker Mitrović of Fulham and Newcastle United calmly finished the ball in the net.
In this Riyadh Season Cup 2024 match, Al-Hamdan quickly extended Al-advantage Hilal’s with a shot just outside the hazardous zone. He had to give credit to the rival goalie, Drake Callender, for allowing Al-Hilal to have the ball sooner.
When Julian Gressel was left alone to face the goalie in this Riyadh Season Cup 2024 match, Inter Miami CF did manage to rally thanks to their new acquisition Luis Suárez. Gressel selflessly sent the ball to Suárez to cut his team’s deficit.
Inter Miami CF’s happiness was short-lived, though, as Brazilian Michael scored again in the 44th minute to give Al-Hilal a two-goal lead. After charging into the penalty box, the former CR Flamengo player from Brazil played a one-two with Al-Hamdan to score the game-winning header. Michael even executed the renowned “Siu” celebration, which is used by Messi’s fiercest rival, Ronaldo, to complete an incredible attacking play.
In this Riyadh Season Cup 2024 match, Malcom had the last say even though Inter Miami CF levelled things up.
Inter Miami CF must have found success in Gerardo Martino’s halftime speech since they scored two goals in the next 45 minutes as soon as play started. Mohammed Jahfali’s tackle on David Ruiz in the penalty area gave Messi, the 2023 Ballon d’Or winner, the opportunity to win the game back for his club from the spot once more. During the penalty kick, the captain of Argentina and Inter Miami CF found the upper right corner, sending the goalie the wrong way.
Ruiz scored the second goal for Inter Miami CF in this Riyadh Season Cup 2024, and he did it nearly immediately after Messi’s penalty kick. In the Riyadh Season Cup 2024, the 19-year-old youngster chose to face the whole Al-Hilal defensive backline by himself before putting a stunning shot past the rival goalie to tie the score.
Earlier in the 2023–2024 season, the young Honduran football player made 30 appearances across all competitions and scored three goals. However, Al-Hilal had the last laugh in this Riyadh Season Cup 2024 first game as they produced a late winner with two minutes left in the regular ninety-minute playing period.
Malcom, who was Messi’s teammate at Barcelona in La Liga, asked Yasser Alshahrani to cross the ball from the right side, just beyond the six-yard line. Malcom rose to the top of the pitch to meet the pass with a header despite the cross taking a deflection, and his effort was enough to win Al-Hilal this exciting Riyadh Season Cup 2024 match. Inter Miami CF has already lost all three of its preseason games as a result of the strike.
In a gripping Inter Miami game, Lionel Messi excels.
Gerardo Martino, the manager of Inter Miami, stated last week that he was concerned about his team’s goal lessness after just two preseason games. The Herons had lost to FC Dallas by a single goal and had failed to score in matches against El Salvador.
But in their first-ever Riyadh Season Cup match, Lionel Messi not only scored for his team but also managed to motivate them to do so. Aleksandr Mitrovic gave Al Hilal the lead, and in the opening exchanges Abdullah Al Hamdan increased their lead.
Before Michael Delgado scored to give the Saudi Pro League leaders a two-goal advantage, Luis Suarez scored his first goal as a Heron to cut the deficit in half. A few minutes into the second half, Messi advanced and put his team within one with a penalty kick that flew into the top corner.
After that, the legendary Argentinean set up teenage striker David Ruiz for a superb equaliser for the Major League Soccer team. In the 88th minute, Malcolm, Messi’s old Barcelona teammate, scored to give Al Hilal a close victory in Riyadh.
The Herons will play their second preseason game against Al Nassr in Riyadh before moving eastward to Asia for their next tour stop.
Where can I watch the Riyadh Season Cup 2024 match between Inter Miami CF and Al-Nassr?
On the first day of February, Messi’s club will play an Al-Nassr team, captained by his longtime rival Ronaldo, following Inter Miami CF’s loss in the Riyadh Season Cup 2024 opener. Nicknamed “The Last Dance,” this game is expected to be one of the last meetings, if not the last confrontation, between the two best football players in history. Watch the game live on AsiaSport.com, including the Riyadh Season Cup 2024 final between Al-Hilal and Al-Nassr. the only name you should save to your bookmarks for unmatched live streaming services for any kind of football game, across all football leagues and competitions worldwide.
