Messi wows Tokyo fans despite defeat to Kobe

Lionel Messi

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.

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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 crowd into a moment of roaring frenzy that was followed by cheers at his every touch.

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