A defeat at home and the stars of Inter Miami lose their composure… On Wednesday, Inter Miami (MLS) of Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez lost to the Mexican team of Monterrey, 2-1 in quarter-final first leg of the Concacaf “Champions Cup” – the confederation of North, Central America and the Caribbean. Nothing exceptional so far if Messi and Suarez had not gone, according to the Fox Sports channel, to demand accountability from the referee of the match, before fighting with the opposing bench.
Forfeited due to injury, Messi, injured in the thigh and away from the field since March 13, was not on the pitch, but had taken his place in the stands. The former Parisian would have joined his teammates Luis Suarez, Jordi Alba and their coach Gerardo Tata Martino to express his disapproval to referee Walter Lopez, according to several Mexican media. Then, it was the opposing coach, Tano Ortiz, who attacked Messi and his acolytes.
😳INTER MIAMI WAS HEATED AND EVEN MESSI CLAIMED! 🚨#CentralFOX After the match, Tata Martino and Lionel Messi complained to the Guatemalan referee Walter López.
And then they went to face Tano Ortiz! 🤯👇https://t.co/U9vYgZWwya
— FOX Sports MX (@FOXSportsMX) April 4, 2024
The anger of the members of Inter Miami was due to pre-match statements from the Mexican coach, who had suggested that the refereeing was still favorable to the MLS team. “Everything that surrounds Messi can lead to making sporting and non-sporting decisions,” Ortiz declared.
The Monterrey staff ensured that the incidents were reported in the match report and reported to Concacaf, with a view to possible follow-up. Wednesday evening, the Miami players took the advantage thanks to Tomas Aviles after 20 minutes (1-0, 19th). But the trend was reversed thanks to the expulsion of David Ruiz (65th) for a blow to Sergio Canales, four minutes after a first yellow card.
In numerical superiority, Monterrey was quick to equalize thanks to Maximiliano Meza (1-1, 69th). At the very end of regulation time, Jorge Rodriguez hit the nail on the head, sealing the victory for the visitors with a sumptuous shot into the top corner (1-2, 89th).
In this context, it is an understatement to say that a tense match is expected for the quarter-final return in Mexico on Thursday. Meeting for which Messi is uncertain.
