MIAMI, USA: Lionel Messi’s world tour with Inter Miami next year added Tokyo as a stop on Friday, with the Major League Soccer club announcing plans to face Japan League champion Vissel Kobe.
The Argentine superstar will lead Inter Miami into the match at 60,000-seat Japan National Stadium on February 7 as part of an MLS pre-season tour that also features matches in Hong Kong and Riyadh.
“Tokyo is an inspiring destination with a fervent football community that we’re looking forward to getting acquainted with,” Inter Miami chief business officer Xavier Asensi said.
“We’re thrilled to visit Japan as one of our stops as we continue to bring joy to our global fan base.”
Vissel Kobe is the former club of iconic Spanish midfielder Andres Iniesta, who will attend the match and reunite with long-time Barcelona teammates Messi, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba of Inter Miami.
The players won a UEFA Champions League crown and four La Liga titles while together for the Spanish giants while Iniesta won the World Cup with Busquets, and the European Championship with both Busquets and Alba for Spain.
“Vissel Kobe is a powerhouse club in Asia coming off of a historic season after winning the J1 League, so we’re thrilled about this opportunity to sharpen our team in a match like this one,” Inter Miami sporting director Chris Henderson said.
“We continue to look for the best ways to prepare for 2024 and feel confident this match and this tour will help us do that.”
Inter Miami will launch its 2024 journey with a match at El Salvador on January 19, then travel to Saudi Arabia for matches on January 29 against Al-Hilal and February 1 against Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al Nassr before playing in Hong Kong on February 4.
Inter Miami adds Tokyo stop to Messi tour next February
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Inter Miami adds Tokyo stop to Messi tour next February
- The Argentine superstar will lead Inter Miami into the match at 60,000-seat Japan National Stadium on Feb. 7
- Inter Miami will launch its 2024 journey with a match at El Salvador on Jan. 19
Jordan make history as they reach Arab Cup final for first time with narrow victory over Saudi Arabia
- Green Falcons left to rue squandered chances as they miss out on what would have been their first final appearance in the competition since 2002
- Semi-final victory comes during a stellar year for Jordan in which they also qualified for the World Cup for the first time ever
DOHA: A header by Nizar Al-Rashdan gave Jordan a 1-0 victory in a tense match against Saudi Arabia on Monday and sent them to their first Arab Cup final.
Deprived of the services of Yazan Al-Naimat, who suffered a devastating knee injury in their quarter-final against Iraq, Jordan delivered a brave performance, greatly limiting the Saudi attacking threat across the 90 minutes.
The semi-final at Al-Bayt Stadium in Qatar attracted the highest attendance the venue has seen at the tournament, a vibrant crowd of 62,825. Both sides began cautiously, with Jordan lining up in a robust 5-4-1 formation that sought to restrict Salem Al-Dawsari and Saleh Abou Al-Shamat in the final third.
The game opened up a little after the break, as a tactical change from Jordan helped them gain greater control on the counterattack. Mohammed Abu Zrayq in particular proved influential down the right flank as he stretched the Saudi defense and gave the Nashama more attacking momentum.
The decisive moment, however, came from the opposite side. Mahmoud Al-Mardi delivered a dipping cross from the left, catching the Green Falcons’ defense off guard, and Al-Rashdan rose to head home the only goal of the match in the 66th minute.
Saudi Arabia responded with a series of substitutions, including the introduction of Al-Qadsiah midfielder Musab Al-Juwayr. The former Al-Hilal player helped link play between Al-Dawsari and Feras Al-Brikan down the left channel as the Saudis pressed for the equalizer.
Al-Brikan and then Saleh Al-Shehri both went close but Yazeed Abulaila stood firm in goal, producing a crucial save just minutes after Jordan took the lead.
The match ended on a particularly sour note for Saudi Arabia when last man Waleed Al-Ahmed was shown a straight red card in the closing moments after bringing down an opponent to halt a counterattack, as Jordan saw out their historic victory.
They now face Morocco, who earlier in the day defeated the UAE 3-0, in the final on Thursday.
