In a friendly match filled with controversy, Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami defeated América 3-2 in an unusual penalty shootout that left everyone surprised. The game, held at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada, saw a total of seven penalties missed out of twelve taken.
Messi, who played 62 minutes in the match, was greeted with boos by América fans, which sparked a reaction from the Argentine star. The first half ended in a 2-2 draw. Henry Martín opened the scoring in the 31st minute for América, but Inter Miami quickly responded with a goal from Messi, who capitalized on a cross from Jordi Alba to make it 1-1 in the 34th minute.
In the second half, América took a 2-1 lead thanks to a goal from Israel Reyes in the 52nd minute, benefiting from a mistake by Inter Miami’s goalkeeper. However, Messi’s team managed to equalize in added time with a header from Tomás Avilés in the 90+2’.
The match was decided by penalties, where Inter Miami won 3-2 after seven out of twelve penalties were missed. The goals in the shootout were scored by Héctor Martínez, David Ruiz, and Santiago Morales for Inter Miami, while América scored through Javairo Dilrosun and ‘Chicote’ Calderón.
