According to "Varzesh3", Messi witnessed a sudden end to his brilliant individual run as Inter Miami suffered a 2-0 away defeat against New York Red Bulls on Saturday. This result also brought an end to the club's three-match winning streak. The Argentine forward was surprisingly named among the substitutes. He entered the pitch early in the second half but could not spark a comeback for the visiting team.

This was the first time in 13 consecutive matches for the club and the Argentina national team that Messi failed to register a goal or an assist. In a disappointing night, Inter Miami lacked its usual attacking prowess. Inter Miami coach Gonzalez explained that the decision to bench the team's star player had been made in advance. On Thursday, Messi had traveled to Oviedo, Spain, to receive the prestigious Prince of Asturias sports award. The long journey and the short turnaround time before the match prompted the coaching staff to carefully manage the workload imposed on him.

Gonzalez emphasized that the decision was purely a precautionary measure to protect their star player ahead of a busy schedule. In remarks reported by ESPN, he said: "This matter had been agreed upon in advance. Naturally, he had been through a very long journey, dealing with a time zone change, temperature shifts, and a combination of other factors.

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We were fully aware of all these conditions and reached the agreement that this was the best approach to make sure no problems arose for him, especially considering that with another match coming up on Wednesday, we wanted to avoid any injuries. The goal was for him to recover and play a few minutes on the pitch today. He performed well, as always."

Without their captain in the starting lineup, Inter Miami struggled to control the flow of the game. Gonzalez strongly criticized his team's ball retention and the players' inability to execute tactical plans from the back. The coach added: "We lost the ball too much in midfield, played too many backward passes while facing our own goal, and struggled to build up from the back. I must take responsibility for this.

As I told the players at halftime, we had to change things. We got a bit better, although I am certainly not satisfied and the players are not satisfied either. But this is a useful lesson, a reminder that we cannot become overly complacent. This was a slap in the face. We must not let our guard down."

Source: Varzesh3