Watch: Lionel Messi Cannot Stop Laughing After Inter Miami Teammate Misses Penalty

Lionel Messi was left in splits after his Inter Miami teammate Robert Taylor missed a penalty twice in a row in a club friendly against J-League side Vissel Kobe on Wednesday in Tokyo.

The match went into the penalty shoot-out as neither team was able to break the deadlock during the regulation time.

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Messi didn’t feature in Inter Miami’s previous match against Hong Kong XI due to an adductor injury and his absence left the spectators disappointed. The Argentine superstar though seems to be making a steady recovery as he came in as a substitute in the second half of the game against Vissel Kobe.

The Japanese club had the last laugh, notching up a 4-3 victory in the penalty shootout.

Leonardo Campana, Julian Gressel and Jordi Alba converted the first three spot-kicks for Inter Miami before Taylor’s strike bounced off the post. The Finnish international got two chances to convert the penalty as the Vissel Kobe goalkeeper Shota Arai was adjudged off the line in the first attempt.

As soon as Taylor missed the target, the camera panned towards Messi and Jordi Alba, who were in splits.

Though the fans in Tokyo got to enjoy 30 minutes of the Messi show, Inter Miami ended up suffering another defeat to wrap up an international tour, covering El Salvador to Dallas, Saudi Arabia, Hong Kong, and finally Japan.

Brazilian midfielder Gregore missed the final spot-kick for Inter Miami, while Vissel Kobe’s Nanasei Iino converted it to seal the deal, sending a full-house Japan International Stadium into a frenzy.

Before jetting off to Hong Kong, Inter Miami had a short trip to Saudi Arabia where they played two friendly matches against Al-Hilal and Al-Nassr respectively. The Herons lost to both Saudi Pro League sides. Al-Hilal won 4-3 while Al-Nassr picked up a dominant 6-0 victory in a one-sided game.

Inter Miami will end their pre-season assignments with a match against Newell’s Old Boys in Florida on February 16. They will begin their campaign in the next season of the Major League Soccer (MLS) in the following week.