An own goal by midfielder Elkin Rivero gave this Saturday the agonizing 1-2 victory to Inter Miami at the Atanasio Girardot stadium in Medellín on the National Athletic in a friendly match whose main attraction was participation for 76 minutes of Lionel Messi. The locals had taken the lead with a goal from young Juan Manuel Rengifo, while the Americans had equalized thanks to Luis Suárez.
On the eve, in which the urban artist Hamilton performed, the stadium, in which there was a large presence of fans wearing the pink jersey of the American team, chanted “Messi, Messi” and the kick-off was given by former goalkeeper René Higuita. The first arrival came from the local team in the opening minutes in a great play on the left side in which winger Andrés Sarmiento sent a cross that was headed by attacker Dairon Asprilla and passed just past the left post of Dayne St. Clair’s goal.
The main approach of the North American team came in a play in which Messi filtered a pass for Luis Suárez, to whom the ball went long and ended up in the hands of goalkeeper David Ospina. The dominance, however, continued to belong to the Verdolagas who once again came into danger with a mid-range shot by the youth Juan Manuel Rengifo that was saved with effort by the visiting goalkeeper, who then returned to catch another shot from Sarmiento, who was with less force.
Messi disputes a ball with Milton Casco
Inter shook off the rival dominance and once again reached Ospina’s goal with a mid-range shot that the Colombian team’s goalkeeper saved with ease. The 1-0 came in the 25th minute in a very good play on the right side in which full-back Andrés Román handed the ball to young Rengifo, who settled in and took a mid-distance shot that was impossible to stop. In the 36th minute, the Garzas team had their first opportunity to tie in a play in which Rodrigo de Paul enabled Messi, who took a shot from mid-distance that was cleared by David Ospina amidst applause.
Inter Miami takes advantage of a mistake by Harlen Castillo
After the break, in which there was a presentation by the Colombian singer Pipe Bueno, Atlético Nacional changed nine of its eleven players and among those who entered was the Venezuelan Eduard Bello, who played his first minutes with the green and white team. The 1-1 came in the 54th minute when goalkeeper Harlen Castillo, who came on for Ospina, gave the ball away and in a very good individual play Messi, who took a shot that hit the post. The rebound was left to Suárez, who with a single touch sent the ball to the back of the north goal of the Atanasio Girardot stadium.
Messi, always with admirers in the stadiums he passes through
Inter was about to score the second in a very good collective play that De Paul started; It passed through the feet of the Mexican of Argentine origin Germán Berterame, who debuted today with the American team, and ended with a deflected shot from Mateo Silvetti. In the 76th minute, amid the applause and shouts of the crowd that practically filled the Atanasio Girardot stadium, Messi left the field and said goodbye to the excited public that came to see him in Medellín.
Read also
In the last play of the game, Santiago Morales gave the victory to the American team in a great play in which midfielder Rivero sent the ball into his own goal and with this Inter Miami achieved its first victory of the preseason, after losing 3-0 this week in Peru with Alianza Lima.
With little more emotion, the game ended. Inter Miami will travel to Ecuador next month to finish their preseason against Independiente del Valle and Barcelona de Guayaquil, while Atlético Nacional will face América de Cali next Wednesday for the fourth round of the Colombian league.
