Lionel Messi and Inter Miami CF faced off against Al-Hilal in a club friendly in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, as part of their preseason preparations. The match was a 4-3 loss, with Messi scoring a second-half penalty, but Malcom scored the decisive goal in the 88th minute. Al-Hilal had been linked with a move for Messi when he left Paris Saint-Germain and became the most sought-after free agent in the sport last year. Messi and Miami will be hoping for even more success in his first full season, with preparations including an extensive tour with stops in Saudi Arabia, Hong Kong, and Japan.
A potential showdown with Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nasser on Thursday is the most anticipated match. Al-Hilal, a Saudi Pro League club loaded with former European pros, raced out to a 2-0 win with a clinical finish from Aleksandar Mitrovic and a second goal by Abdullah Al-Hamddan. However, the visitors pulled one back before halftime through Luis Suárez, who scored his first goal since joining Miami. David Ruiz almost singlehandedly got Miami back into the game in the second half, drawing a penalty that Messi converted and then scoring with a stellar shot from the top of the area to get his team back on level terms in the opening 10 minutes.
Both sides had chances to secure the win, but it wasn’t until the 88th minute that Al Hilal took the lead for good when an onrushing Malcolm met a cross from Yasir Al Shahrani and hit a bullet header off the fingertips of Drake Callender into the back of the net. The result keeps Miami winless in preseason after three games, following draws with El Salvador and a loss to FC Dallas. Messi, who has played an increasing number of minutes in each of Miami’s preseason games, was subbed off in the 87th minute just before Malcolm’s winner.