Inter Miami’s long and arduous 2024 preseason tour took a turn for the worse as the MLS club was pummeled 6-0 by Saudi Pro League club Al Nassr
The match was billed as “The Last Dance,” considered the likely final chapter in Lionel Messi’s rivalry with fellow global superstar Cristiano Ronaldo. However, that will not be the case as Ronaldo picked up a calf injury a week ago and has not recovered in time to participate today.
Al Nassr have not played a match since December 30, as the Saudi Pro League takes an extended winter break through January, but Ronaldo sustained a muscle problem in training that scuppered the team’s planned tour of China.
Additionally, it was announced shortly before the match that Lionel Messi will also likely miss out, having felt “discomfort” in their friendly three days ago with fellow Saudi side Al Hilal. He is officially listed as amongst the substitutes, but only after the club re-released their matchday squad to update a prior bench without him amongst the group.
Messi has participated heavily in Inter Miami preseason, scoring his first goal of 2024 last time out as the MLS side fell 4-3 to another Saudi club, Al Hilal, on Monday. Messi netted from the penalty spot early in the second half, after Luis Suarez had found his first goal for Inter Miami before the break.
The Sporting News is following the Inter Miami vs Al Nassr match live, providing score updates, commentary and highlights as they happen.
Inter Miami vs Al Nassr live score
| Score (2H) | Goal scorers | |
| Al Nassr | 6 | Otavio (3′), Talisca (10′, 50′, 73′), Laporte (12′), Mohammed (68′) |
| Inter Miami | 0 | — |
Kickoff: 9 p.m. local (1 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. PT)
Location: Kingdome Stadium (Riyadh, Saudi Arabia)
Referee: Esther Staubli (SUI)
Starting lineups:
Al Nassr (4-2-3-1, right to left): 26. Ospina (GK — W. Abdullah, 31′) — 12. Al-Boushal, 5. Al Amri (Al Fatil, 60′), 27. Laporte, 15. Telles — 8. Al Sulaihem (Al-Hassan, 60′), 77. Brozovic — 94. Talisca (Tambakti, 80′), 25. Otavio, 46. Al Aliwa — 16. Maran (Al Nakhli, 80′).
Inter Miami (3-5-2, right to left): 1. Callender (GK) — 6. Aviles, 27. Kryvtsov, 32. Allen — 24. Gressel, 26. Gregore, 5. Busquets, 41. D. Ruiz, 18. Alba (Yedlin, 68′) — 9. Suarez (Taylor, 68′), 8. Campana.
Inter Miami vs Al Nassr live updates, highlights, commentary
Inter Miami vs Al Nassr: Second Half
84th min: Lionel Messi comes into the match! He’ll get six minutes at the finish of this blowout.
80th min: Wholesale changes for Al Nassr coach Luis Castro, as Anderson Talisca is withdrawn after bagging his triple. Otavio is also brought off alongside young striker Mohammed Maran who put in a very good shift.
73rd min: GOAL! AL NASSR! Anderson Talisca has the ball in the back of the net for a potential sixth Al Nassr goal, but it’s ruled offside! Replay shows the Brazilian was indeed leaning just off as he was fed clean through on goal just past the mid line.
For some reason it takes ages for VAR to confirm the offside decision, and it then goes to review. THE DECISION IS REVERSED! Anderson Talisca has his hat-trick, and celebrates by doing the Ronaldo “SIUUUU” celebration in tribute to his injured teammate!
The replay looked quite clear, but on second look, Robert Taylor is playing Talisca onside on the other side of the pitch, and the goal stands! Well done by the video review team!
الهاتريك ⚽⚽⚽.. تاليسكا هدف سادس واحتفالية على طريقة رونالدو 🤩⚽#النصر_انترميامي#كأس_موسم_الرياض | #SSC pic.twitter.com/nLidgWaaqu
— SSC (@ssc_sports) February 1, 2024
68th min: GOAL! AL NASSR! It goes from bad to worse for Inter Miami as they concede a fifth, this time on a corner. Aymeric Laporte meets it at the far post and head the ball laterally across to Mohammed Maran who buries it with a header of his own.
Julian Gressel, who was beaten by Laporte in the air on the initial header, appears to be shaken up, but he gets up and will continue. Robert Taylor and DeAndre Yedlin come into the match for Inter Miami’s first subs, with Jordi Alba and Luis Suarez withdrawn.
Lionel Messi begins warming up on the sideline along with the rest of the Inter Miami subs which excites the crowd, but no indication yet that he would participate.
رأسية مران تعلن خامس الأهداف النصراوية ⚽🔥#النصر_انترميامي#كأس_موسم_الرياض | #SSC pic.twitter.com/mdpQdkPHIC
— SSC (@ssc_sports) February 1, 2024
65th min: Chance, Inter Miami! Leonardo Campana is in off a bad Al Nassr giveaway but skies the chance! He’s got space down the left edge of the six-yard box but comes up empty and can’t test the Al Nassr goalkeeper!
The Saudi Pro League side has definitely dropped its effort with such a big lead, but Inter Miami still can’t find a way through.
62nd min: Chance, Inter Miami! Waleed Abdullah makes a great save to tip a Luis Suarez effort over the bar! Suarez has been the most dangerous forward for Inter Miami, but he can’t get the MLS side on the board thanks to a solid save by the Saudi Arabia international.
60th min: Al Nassr make a pair of changes on the hour mark, as Abdulmajeed Al Sulaiheem and Abdulelah Al Amri come off to be replaced by Ali Al-Hassan and Mohammed Al Fatil.
56rd min: Sergio Busquets flicks through a ball to Luis Suarez but he can’t get a cross off thanks to a stunning tackle by an Al Nassr defender to dispossess the former Liverpool star. A really exquisite sliding dispossession.
50th min: Penalty, Al Nassr! Drake Callender comes off his line and completely cleans out Mohammed Maran, and the Swiss referee points straight to the spot! It’s a stonewall penalty, as Callender was way late and got nothing on the ball.
لحظة احتساب ركلة جزاء النصر..#النصر_انترميامي#كأس_موسم_الرياض | #SSC pic.twitter.com/63eCYy58IJ
— SSC (@ssc_sports) February 1, 2024
Anderson Talisca steps up, and…GOAL! AL NASSR! It’s 4-0 as the Brazilian beats Callender to the post, even as the Inter Miami keeper guessed correctly!
من علامة الجزاء.. تاليسكا يضيف الهدف الرابع ⚽🔥#النصر_انترميامي#كأس_موسم_الرياض | #SSC pic.twitter.com/gDgBvDYtTJ
— SSC (@ssc_sports) February 1, 2024
49th min: Al Nassr are right back into the attack, and last-ditch tackles from both David Ruiz and Serhiy Kryvtsov are required to keep the likes of Otavio and Mohammed Maran from marauding right down the middle of Inter Miami’s throat.
Kickoff: The match is back under way with no changes for either side, which is a bit of a surprise for a club friendly.
HALFTIME: Inter Miami 3-0 Al Nassr
A completely disastrous performance by Inter Miami so far today. They conceded three laughable goals in the first 12 minutes full of defensive and goalkeeping errors, and continue to give the ball away in midfield in large quantities. Marcelo Brozovic has run the show in midfield and both Otavio and Anderson Talisca showed their quality in the final third.
Al Nassr decided to take their foot off the gas from that point, and Inter Miami grabbed control of the game, but haven’t created many good chances on goal. The match has gained some needle as both sides have been guilty of some bad challenges, which has caused the players to show their anger.
Tata Martino will not want to risk Lionel Messi in a friendly match with this much sloppiness and aggression, so it’s hard to imagine he will take part.
Inter Miami vs Al Nassr: First Half
45+5 min: Amidst eight minutes of stoppage time, Waleed Abdullah is put under pressure as Luis Suarez takes a hit from a tight angle on the right but his effort is blocked.
42nd min: FIGHT! Anderson Talisca is clattered by Gregore with a clear foul that’s not called, which frustrates Al Nassr. That causes Nawaf Al Boushail to go in late and cheap on Noah Allen, which kicks it all off. In the aftermath, Sergio Busquets hits Al Bushail in the face after running in to take part.
VAR is in place, but after a long look, just yellow cards for both Al Boushail and Busquets. The Inter Miami midfielder is lucky.
39th min: David Ruiz is in on goal, but as he gets a cutback from the byline in acres of space, he completely whiffs on the shot. He’ll want that one back, it was a big chance!
37th min: The first yellow card of the match is shown to Abdulelah Al Amri for a late kick of Luis Suarez’s shin after the ball had gone. It’s a deserved booking that gets an angry reaction from the Inter Miami bench.
36th min: Chance, Inter Miami! Out of nothing, Leonardo Campana forces a nervy save from Waleed Abdullah as he rifles a scissor kick from a few yards outside the penalty area. It appears to be an easy save, but the ball movement seems to give Abdullah difficulty, and all he can do is get down for a punch at the near post.
29th min: David Ospina makes his first save of the match as he punches a Luis Suarez effort away from a tight angle on the left.
Making his first appearance for the club in over a year thanks to a broken elbow, Ospina goes down needing treatment, with trainers looking at his right hamstring. He’ll need a replacement here, which is a bummer for a popular player who has worked back from a long-term injury. Waleed Abdullah comes on to replace him.
23rd min: Inter Miami are looking to get more attacking possession and nearly feed Leonardo Campana in on goal vertically, but it’s cut out by a great sliding tackle from Aymeric Laporte to stop the entry ball.
18th min: Inter Miami finally have their first look on David Ospina’s goal as Julian Gressel feeds a corner into the middle, but Sergio Busquets heads it over the crossbar.
12th min: GOAL! AL NASSR! WHAT JUST HAPPENED!?!? Aymeric Laporte catches Inter Miami goalkeeper Drake Callender napping with a 75-yard free-kick from his own half!!! IT’S A STUNNER! The former Man City defender takes a quick free-kick deep in his own territory and chips the Inter Miami goalkeeper who’s in la la land trying to communicate his defensive organization.
للتاريخ يا لابورت.. ثالث الأهداف النصراوية ⚽🔥🤩#النصر_انترميامي#كأس_موسم_الرياض | #SSC pic.twitter.com/NDheLNMmN0
— SSC (@ssc_sports) February 1, 2024
10th min: GOAL! AL NASSR! Anderson Talisca doubles the lead! It’s just far too easy for Al Nassr, as Adbulaziz Al Aliwa is threaded through vertically down the left from an outlandish Otavio back-heel, and the youngster crosses along the face of goal to Talisca who slides to meet it at the far post completely unmarked. Cristiano Ronaldo’s strike partner was left all alone by Jordi Alba, and Al Nassr are laying on the sauce.
تاليسكا.. وهدف نصراوي ثاني 🔥⚽#النصر_انتر_ميامي#كأس_موسم_الرياض | #SSC pic.twitter.com/sZcbp26bJv
— SSC (@ssc_sports) February 1, 2024
3rd min: GOAL! AL NASSR! Inter Miami concede a hilariously simple goal as Otavio blasts the hosts in front with a top-corner rip. He found space by cutting laterally across the penalty area, as Serhiy Kryvstov completely unraveled, sent the wrong way.
أول الأهداف للنصر..
عالمي يا أوتافيو 🤩🔥#النصر_انتر_ميامي#كأس_موسم_الرياض | #SSC pic.twitter.com/bm0pr6kh5g— SSC (@ssc_sports) February 1, 2024
2nd min: Chance, Al Nassr! Right off the bat, Al Nassr are into the attack, and they force Inter Miami to the brink. Otavio sends Jordi Alba for a hot dog and crosses to striker Mohammed Maran, whose header is blocked by the face of Tomas Aviles.
Kickoff: They’re under way in Riyadh. The pre-match run-up to this game has felt like a gut-punch, but Inter Miami will have to learn to play competitively without Lionel Messi, as his minutes will likely be managed throughout the coming season to keep him fit.
With another preseason fixture in just three days out in Hong Kong, this team is putting in serious effort throughout preseason. Their fans will hope it doesn’t translate to a slow start to the competitive fixtures with an exhausted squad.
Inter Miami vs Al Nassr: Pre-match commentary, analysis, stats, and more
10 mins to kickoff: With 10 minutes to go before the match, Inter Miami just re-released their lineup with Messi on the bench. This is a disaster of epic proportions. Given the report that Messi will not play, he’s likely not going to take the field, but Inter Miami apparently still want to give the impression that he might. So…do with that what you will.
Tonight’s Starting XI vs Al Nassr
1PM ET | 📺 #MLSSeasonPass on @AppleTV: https://t.co/bLZZiKUtPB pic.twitter.com/wODnoQnQiP
— Inter Miami CF (@InterMiamiCF) February 1, 2024
20 mins to kickoff: Now we see that Lionel Messi will not play in tonight’s match at all. He is not in Inter Miami’s squad, and according to Michelle Kaufmann of the Miami Herald, Messi felt discomfort in the recent match against Al Hilal, thus necessitating his absence.
The match initially billed as “The Last Dance” doesn’t feature either Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo from the start. What a disaster.
🚨 BREAKING NEWS: Lionel Messi will not be on game roster for today’s match vs Al Nassr, per source. He felt discomfort after first match, had MRI, is being held out as precaution, expected to return at some pt during this tour. @MiamiHerald @HeraldSports @InterMiamiCF #Messi𓃵
— Michelle Kaufman (@kaufsports) February 1, 2024
30 mins to kickoff: Inter Miami have released their lineup for the match, and Lionel Messi does not feature. Instead, Leonardo Campana has been deployed up top alongside Luis Suarez.
1 hour before kickoff: Lineups are not yet out, but Inter Miami will be hoping they can get some youth talent into the side over the next few months. Tata Martino has brought Lionel Messi, Sergio Busquets, Jordi Alba, and Luis Suarez into the club in part to perform on the pitch, but also to help their young players learn and grow.
🎥: Diego Valeri, Javi Morales, and Tata Martino discuss how the player pathway is working in Miami and share their thoughts on the future of @MLS and MLS NEXT Pro. pic.twitter.com/FAr14K8GGu
— MLS NEXT Pro (@MLSNEXTPRO) January 30, 2024
2 hours before kickoff: Inter Miami are lacking defenders, and while Nicolas Freire recently joined from River Plate, they have shipped off center-back Christopher McVey to D.C. United. McVey was buried on the depth chart and hardly saw time last season, so it’s not a big loss, but the narrative of defensive depth continues for Tata Martino’s side.
Thank you Chris, we wish you the best in D.C. 💗 🖤
We have acquired a 2024 International Roster Slot from D.C. United and will receive up to $ 100,000 in General Allocation Money in exchange for defender Christopher McVey.
Details: https://t.co/M1VrAG8Xd7 pic.twitter.com/uZfvtfcpOO
— Inter Miami CF (@InterMiamiCF) February 1, 2024
2 hours 30 mins to kickoff: Lionel Messi scored his first goal of the 2024 calendar year back on Monday as he bagged Inter Miami’s second of the match against Al Hilal from the spot shortly after halftime.
It came after Luis Suarez grabbed his first goal for Inter Miami in the first half, pulling his side a goal back after Al Hilal had gone 2-0 ahead early.
💥 LUIS SUAREZ 💥
His first goal for @InterMiamiCF! pic.twitter.com/oEhVqKS7UB
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) January 29, 2024
3 hours to kickoff: With this match billed as “The Last Dance” given the likelihood of it being the final time Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo meet on the pitch, the news of Ronaldo’s injury two weeks ago in Al Nassr training was a gut punch.
While it seemed initially that there was a chance Ronaldo could recover in time, he was not able to prove fit enough to join the team for training the day before the match, which is usually an indication that one will not participate. Sure enough, it was confirmed by Al Nassr head coach Luis Castro shortly thereafter, who delivered the news that Ronaldo would not be available.
With Sadio Mane also unlikely to participate, having just returned from AFCON duty with Senegal after a disappointing early exit, the Al Nassr attack will feature some understudies here today.
We will not see Cristiano Ronaldo vs Lionel Messi tomorrow, per Al-Nassr coach ❌🇵🇹
Luis Castro: “We will not see [Messi vs Ronaldo], Ronaldo is in the final part of his recovery to join the group. We hope that in the next few days you can start working with the team. He will… pic.twitter.com/5vypCx9ipZ
— All About Argentina 🛎🇦🇷 (@AlbicelesteTalk) January 31, 2024
Inter Miami vs Al Nassr lineups, team news
Al Nassr star forward Cristiano Ronaldo was in a race against time to recover from a calf injury for this match, and he came up short, unable to pass fit to participate in training the day prior, which ruled him out of contention. In CR7’s place up front will likely be 22-year-old Mohammed Maran, who broke into the Saudi Arabia national-team picture a year ago.
Sadio Mane will not take part in this match, having just been eliminated from the Africa Cup of Nations with Senegal on Monday and in need of some rest. Furthermore, Ivorian midfielder Seko Fofana was on the opposing side as Senegal were eliminated, meaning Fofana will miss this match as he remains in AFCON contention with the host nation.
Midfielder Marcelo Brozovic is in the best form of any Al Nassr player at the moment, having contributed two goals and three assists in his eight matches before the winter break. David Ospina starts in goal after missing significant time with a serious injury, although there are reports he will leave the club in the near future.
Al Nassr starting lineup (4-2-3-1): Ospina (GK) — Boushal, Amri, Laporte, Telles — Al Sulaihem, Brozovic — Talisca, Otavio, Al Alewa — Maran.
Al Nassr subs (9): Abdullah (GK), Al-Fatil, Mohammed, Khalid, Marzouq, Awad, Al Hasan, Qasem, Al-Nemer,
With such a thin and aging roster, injuries will be Inter Miami’s biggest foe across the coming season, and a few players have already succumbed to fitness concerns. Most notably, Lionel Messi is out for the match, having felt “discomfort” in the previous game.
Young midfielder Benjamin Cremaschi will miss two or three months after requiring surgery for a sports hernia, a big loss for the side. Full-back Ian Fray is still recovering from his torn ACL in the latter half of last season, as are Franco Negri and Corentin Jean.
Head coach “Tata” Martino has experimented with full-back Noah Allen as part of a back three in preseason. New signing Nicolas Freire is with the squad in Saudi Arabia, but has yet to appear in a match, and is not part of the squad today. Fellow center-back Christopher McVey is reportedly close to being shipped off to D.C. United and thus will likely not play for Inter Miami the rest of preseason.
Inter Miami starting lineup (3-5-2): Callender (GK) — Aviles, Kryvtsov, Allen — Gressel, Gregore, Busquets, D. Ruiz, Alba — Suarez, Campana.
Inter Miami subs (10): Dos Santos (GK), Nensen, Boatwright, Hall, Sailor, Yedlin, Bright, Sunderland, Borgelin, Taylor, Messi.
How to watch Inter Miami vs Al Nassr
This club friendly match between Inter Miami and Al Nassr from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia will be broadcast across the globe on MLS Season Pass from Apple TV.
MLS Season Pass is the home for the entirety of the 2024 Major League Soccer season, with every match streaming on the platform throughout the coming campaign. They will also have the broadcast rights to the Leagues Cup, which will take place in August as MLS clubs pause their league schedule to contest a knockout tournament against clubs from the Mexican top flight.
