Lionel Messi bids farewell to Tokyo fans in friendly defeat for Inter Miami
Inter Miami's Lionel Messi pleased Tokyo fans on Wednesday in a friendly match that ended in a 4-3 penalty shootout loss to Vissel Kobe after the game ended goalless.
It came days after his absence on the pitch in a recent Hong Kong friendly had angered fans there.
He started on the bench in Inter Miami's pre-season game against J-League side Kobe, worrying 28,614 spectators at Tokyo's National Stadium, who chanted «Messi, Messi» in sporadic attempts to bring out the star.
They however began to sense their good fortune early in the second half, when the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner and other substitutes began warming up, pleasing hundreds of fans who were seated just behind the Inter Miami bench.
The moment came around 15 minutes into the second half, when the World Cup-winning Argentine replaced David Ruiz, sending the ecstatic crowd into a moment of roaring frenzy that was followed by passionate cheers at his every touch.
In the 79th minute, he dribbled solo into the Kobe box and fired in a close-range shot that was saved by goalkeeper Shota Arai.
Vissel had also showed promise especially early in the match with former Japan international striker Yuya Osako hitting the post 15 minutes into the game.
A minute later, Osako struck the woodwork again.
Kobe won the penalty shootout, with Messi not taking part.
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Hong Kong controversy
The game drew a sharp comparison from Sunday when Messi and the team's co-owner David Beckham were booed by tens of thousands of fans in Hong Kong after the star did not play in a friendly.
During a press event in Tokyo on Tuesday, Messi said his leg injury was improving but refused to say whether
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