After Lionel Messi Laughed Off Second Penalty Miss, Inter Miami Star Pokes Fun at His Own Expense

Lionel Messi‘s Inter Miami has completed six out of their seven pre-season friendly matches. The games have not panned out well for the Herons. Their only win was against Hong Kong XI and they drew against El Salvador. Three of their four losses came while Miami toured Asia, playing in the Riyadh Season Cup and against Japan’s Vissel Kobe. Even so, Miami’s players seem to have created a laughable memory out of their mishaps.

Despite playing for most of the Vissel Kobe game, Messi failed to make an impact. Even the penalty shootout gave no hope to the club. The Argentine had a hearty laugh after seeing his teammate Robert Taylor misfire penalty kicks twice. Now, Taylor himself has hilariously recalled this embarrassing moment.

Why did Robert Taylor call for jokes on himself and what happened with Lionel Messi?

Robert Taylor has taken to social media to sum up his and Miami’s Asia tour. “4 games, 3 cities & 2 missed penalties,” he captioned his post, which included a series of pictures from the tour. During the shootout against Vissel Kobe, Taylor failed to convert his initial penalty. However, the goalkeeper stepped over his line earlier than allowed. Subsequently, Taylor got the chance to try his luck again. Nonetheless, he failed again! Lionel Messi couldn’t help but laugh at the double miss.

In the 4 games that the 29-year-old mentioned, Inter Miami won once against Hong Kong XI. It was Taylor who opened the Herons’ scoring in that triumphant match. He wrote ‘3 cities’ referring to Riyadh, Hong Kong, and Tokyo. Anyhow, the penalty mishap was just one of the many mishaps and dramatic moments from the Herons’ preseason tour.

A chaotic and lackluster pre-season for Lionel Messi and Inter Miami

After Inter Miami lost 4-3 to Al Hilal in the Riyadh Season Cup, Lionel Messi’s availability for the subsequent matches came under jeopardy. He underwent an MRI, citing discomfort in his hamstring. He had a seven-minute cameo while his club took a 6-0 beating from a Cristiano Ronaldo-less Al Nassr. Things became all the more dramatic after an injured Herons skipper missed the match against Hong Kong XI. Fans inside the jam-packed stadium booed at David Beckham and the entourage for ruining their dreams of watching Messi play.

READ MORE: 6th Injury for Inter Miami in Preseason After Lionel Messi & Luis Suarez’s Concerns

The vitriol was so intense that the MLS side was rumored to cancel their friendly against Vissel Kobe. However, the match went ahead as planned but was not broadcast on Apple TV. Meanwhile, Messi and Luis Suarez‘s ex-teammate Andres Iniesta flew to Japan to reunite both with his Barcelona teammates and Vissel Kobe pals.

The roller coaster ride of a pre-season came full circle with Robert Taylor’s double penalty miss. If Inter Miami’s forthcoming MLS campaign goes well, even fans will recall this eventful pre-season and joke about it.

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