Messi scored vs. Al-Hilal, but received mockery on social media for this reason

Inter Miami had played two friendly matches in this preseason and in neither of them they had been able to score goals. First they drew 0-0 against the El Salvador National Team and then lost 1-0 vs FC Dallas. This was strange, considering that they have two of the best forwards in the world, Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez, but finally this Monday they were able to end that curse.

More news about Lionel Messi:

He was Messi's teammate and was linked with Inter Miami, but he chose Cristiano

The Herons made their debut in the Riyadh Season Cup 2024, a tournament that is usually played at this time of the year. The former were the opponents of Gerardo Martino's team at the Kingdom Arena and showed why they are the leaders of the Pro League, as they had a great performance especially during the first half.

Al-Hilal got off to a great start and after 13 minutes they were leading 2-0 thanks to goals from Aleksandar Mitrovic and Abdullah Al-Hamdan. However, Inter Miami reacted and gradually began to dominate the ball and create chances to score. That's when Luis Suarez appeared, capturing a rebound inside the box, to score his first goal in the pink jersey. However, before halftime Drake Callender made a mistake, Michael took advantage of it and netted the third goal.

In the second half The Herons improved and quickly equalized through Lionel Messi and David Ruiz. The Argentine forward scored from the spot, after the VAR indicated to referee Edina Alves Batista that there had been a foul inside the box, and a few minutes later the Honduran midfielder netted a beautiful goal with a right foot shot. But this was not enough, as near the end whistle Malcom scored the fourth goal for Al-Hilal.

More news about Lionel Messi:

Why Luis Suarez's goal for Inter Miami was valid even though he was offside

Fans prefer Cristiano

It is clear that in Saudi Arabia most fans choose Cristiano Ronaldo over Lionel Messi. That's why many in the stadium booed Leo when he was replaced, near the end of the match. Also, when he scored the goal some users on social media mocked him by calling him "Pessi", a play on words with "Penalty" and "Messi". This became very popular during the Qatar 2022 World Cup, as Argentina had several penalties during the tournament.