6:23 PM. An earthquake struck northern Honduras. According to the US Geological Survey (USGS), the magnitude was 7.6 on the Richter scale, the highest in the region in the last four years.
After the earthquake, the US Tsunami Warning System issued a tsunami warning, which was later canceled. In such a challenging situation, Lionel Messi was in Honduras for a preseason match. Not just there—he played, scored, and assisted his teammates.
Two hours after the earthquake, the US agency issued a tsunami warning. Inter Miami’s match, scheduled around the same time at 8 PM, was not canceled.
The match was held about 400 miles southwest of the earthquake’s epicenter at the Chelato Uclés National Stadium, where no seismic effects were felt. Franco Paniyo, an Inter Miami journalist, quoted a club official saying, “Nothing was felt around the stadium.”
Although the tremors were not felt, Honduras’ Olimpia club struggled under Messi and Suarez’s pressure. They lost 5-0 to Miami, with both Messi and Suarez scoring one goal each. Messi also assisted two goals.
The first goal came in the 27th minute from Messi. Marcelo Vaigante of Argentina passed the ball to Suarez inside the box, who laid it off to the unmarked Messi. Messi made it look easy.
In the 44th minute, Messi scored with help from Federico Redondo and Noah Allen in added time in the first half. Suarez extended the lead to 4-0 in the 58th minute, and Ryan Sailor scored the final goal in the 79th minute.
With this match, Miami completed their preseason outside the United States. However, they will play a few more matches before their first Major League Soccer (MLS) game on February 22. On February 14, Messi’s team will face Orlando City in a preseason match, and four days later, they’ll play Sporting Kansas City in their first Concacaf Champions Cup match.
