Lionel Messi experienced one of the most heated moments of his career following Inter Miami’s dramatic 3-3 draw against San Jose Earthquakes in the MLS.
Playing away at PayPal Park on Wednesday night, the Herons saw Maximiliano Falcon strike in the opening minute, while Tadeo Allende netted twice to put them ahead.
Despite the intense contest, Miami dropped more points and now sit fifth in the table, having also suffered a 4-1 loss to Minnesota over the weekend. ..Continue Reading
Messi, visibly frustrated, couldn’t hide his disappointment at full-time and confronted referee Joe Dickerson.
The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner was particularly angered by the referee’s decision not to award him a free-kick just outside the box, leading to a tense exchange after the match.
Unmoved by Messi’s complaints, Dickerson swiftly issued him a yellow card.
But the Barcelona legend was still not happy and went back to the official for more remonstrating. An animated Messi ran the risk of being shown an almost unprecedented red card, with Dickerson telling him, “Do you want me to send you off? Walk away!”.
But he had to be held back by members of the San Jose Earthquakes coaching staff, with Earthquakes boss Bruce Arena taking a step in order to stop Messi being sent off.
Speaking after the match in a press conference, Arena said: “As you know, there’s a universal language when you’re talking about referees. He was obviously not happy.
“And I really wanted to make sure he wasn’t going to get a red card, and that’s why I just tried to move him out of the way. Because for him to get a red card at the end of the game would have been ridiculous. So I just wanted to make sure we get him out of there and he’s ready to play the next game for Miami.”
Inter boss Javier Mascherano, who played with Messi for Barcelona and Argentina, didn’t offer much response to the heated situation and said he had “no idea” what was said.
Without Luis Suarez for the past two matches due to personal reasons, Inter return to action on Sunday when they host Orlando City at the Chase Stadium.
