VIDEO: Inter Miami get there in the end! Lionel Messi watches on as Herons beat spirited Hong Kong XI in pre-season friendly

In a friendly to keep the Herons' fitness up, they made the decision to bench their starry quartet of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba.

As a result, they struggled for fluency in the first-half but Robert Taylor broke the deadlock with a superb strike from the edge of the box, curling the ball into the top corner in a Messi-esque finish.

Just three minutes, later, though, Hong Kong's XI equalised, as Estonia international Henri Anier controlled a cross, appeared to fall, but picked himself up and finished.

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Hong Kong made 10 changes at half-time and Miami found their groove in the second half. Lawson Sunderland gave them the lead just five minutes after the restart, finishing Ryan Sailor's fine cross, after he was played in brilliantly by Leonardo Campana.

Campana himself scored a third, rolling the ball into the bottom corner from inside the box, before Alba and Busquets were introduced from the bench. And Inter put the seal on the win late on, as Ryan Sailor found the net.

Campana took on the role of creator-in-chief with Messi on the bench, and played a beautiful pre-assist before Sunderland's goal, and then scored one himself. He and Messi could form a very potent partnership...

No blame can be attached to the Hong Kong invitational team as this was a game Inter Miami were expected to win. As a result, Martino may well have been fuming with what he saw in the first half, as the backup brigade - without Alba, Busquets, Suarez and Messi - huffed and puffed. As a result, the big loser here are the reserves who are often watching on from the bench; on this evidence, they don't really deserve many MLS minutes.

Inter Miami continue their preparation for the new season on Wednesday against Vissel Kobe. They then play Messi's old club, Newell's Old Boys, on Friday February 16.