It’s rare to see a player miss two penalties in a single game, yet that’s what Inter Miami’s Robert Taylor managed to pull off against Vissel Kobe.
The Herons’ final international pre-season match game to an end at 0-0, with the fixture going to penalties to provide a winner for the friendly in which Lionel Messi featured.
The Argentine superstar was brought on with 30 minutes to go as Messi impressed in his short cameo from the bench, though the 36-year-old opted to not take a penalty during the shootout.
However, as per Inter Miami’s official live stream of the match, Messi can be seen laughing at Taylor after the Finnish international blasted his penalty off the bar having been ordered to retake it.
Having missed the initial penalty, you can hardly blame Messi and his Inter Miami teammates for laughing at Taylor, especially with the players completely unaware a shootout was even going to happen.
Indeed, Taylor himself will likely see the funny side of missing two penalties in a single shootout, and Messi’s reaction only goes to show how ridiculous the entire situation was to begin with.
Inter Miami will be glad Vissel Kobe match is now done
It would be an understatement to say it has been a grueling few weeks for Inter Miami, with the MLS franchise jumping between four different countries to play six pre-season fixtures.
And whilst their display against Vissel Kobe was arguably their best of the entire tour, Inter Miami will be pleased to be heading back home to Florida soon.
As we know, this pre-season extravaganza has been one heck of a physical test for Inter Miami’s players, who all seem exhausted after the immense touring.
And for the likes of Messi, returning him to Florida with no games for another week sounds like paradise, with the Herons due a deserved break when they return to the United States.