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Inter Miami’s Lionel Messi pleased Tokyo fans yesterday in a friendly match that ended in a 4-3 penalty shoot-out loss to Vissel Kobe after the game ended goalless.
It came days after his absence on the pitch in a recent Hong Kong friendly had angered fans there. He started on the bench in Inter Miami’s pre-season game against J-League side Kobe, wowing 28 614 spectators at Tokyo’s National Stadium, who chanted “Messi, Messi” in sporadic attempts to bring out the star.
They however, began to sense their good fortune early in the second half, when the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner and other substitutes began warming up, pleasing hundreds of fans who were seated just behind the Inter Miami bench. The moment came around 15 minutes into the second half, when the World Cup-winning Argentine replaced David Ruiz, sending the ecstatic crowd into a moment of roaring frenzy — SuperSport.
Bongani Ndlovu
Online Reporter