Matchday

Inter Miami drop preseason test vs. Al Nassr

24MLS_MIA_Preseason_MIAvNAS_Recap

Inter Miami CF ended the Saudi Arabian portion of their 2024 preseason tour Thursday with a 6-0 loss to Al Nassr at Kingdom Arena.

With superstar No. 10 Lionel Messi left to a late substitute appearance, the Herons fell behind early when Otavio opened the score for the Arab Club Cup champions with a third-minute goal.

Things quickly unraveled from there, as Miami conceded twice more in quick succession to Talisca (10') and Aymeric Laporte (12') – with the latter scoring a long-range effort from his own half after catching goalkeeper Drake Callender off his line.

New signing Luis Suárez threatened to pull one back in the second half, but Miami's comeback never materialized. Talisca struck twice more in the final 45 minutes, while Maran also got his name on the scoreboard with a late header.

Goals

  • 3' - NAS - Otavio | WATCH
  • 10' - NAS - Talisca | WATCH
  • 12' - NAS - Aymeric Laporte | WATCH
  • 51' - NAS - Talisca (PK) | WATCH
  • 68' - NAS - Mohammed Maran | WATCH
  • 73' - NAS - Talisca | WATCH

Lineups

  • NAS: David Ospina - Nawaf Boushal, Abdulelah Al-Amri, Aymeric Laporte, Alex Telles - Abdulmajeed Al-Sulaiheem, Otavio, Marcelo Brozović, Talisca - Abdulaziz Al-Aliwa, Mohammed Maran
  • MIA: Drake Callender - Jordi Alba, Noah Allen, Sergii Kryvtsov, Tomás Avilés, Julian Gressel - David Ruíz, Sergio Busquets, Gregore - Leonardo Campana, Luis Suárez

Three Things

  • THE BIG PICTURE: Four games into the preseason, Miami (0W-3L-1D) are still in search of their first win. Preparation matches are precisely that, and unexpected injuries have also played a part. But plenty of questions remain with just three friendlies to go before their Feb. 21 regular-season opener against Real Salt Lake (8 pm ET | MLS Season Pass)
  • MOMENT OF THE MATCH: Even without Messi starting and the injured Cristiano Ronaldo missing the match entirely, there was plenty of star power at Kingdom Arena. Nowhere was that more evident than former Man City defender Aymeric Laporte's wonder goal from beyond midfield.
  • MAN OF THE MATCH: Talisca set the tone early and scored a hat trick for good measure.

Next Up

  • MIA: Feb. 4 vs. Hong Kong Team | 3 am ET (MLS Season Pass)
  • HIL: Feb. 8 vs. Al-Hilal | 1 pm ET