In Florida, Lionel Messi carried Inter Miami past Cruz Azul with a goal and an assist, but the night’s most striking image came on the way towards the tunnel as the Argentine captain angrily confronted the match officials.
Key takeaways
- Inter Miami defeated Cruz Azul 2-0 to claim the fifth trophy in the club’s history.
- Messi opened the scoring in the 20th minute with a header inside the penalty area.
- The Argentine’s delivery from a corner set up Casemiro’s headed second goal.
- Messi’s opener was his 100th goal for Inter Miami, reached in 115 appearances.
- During the match, Messi branded the refereeing team “a disgrace” and “awful”.
Messi reaches a century as Miami lift another cup
Lionel Messi’s influence remains woven through Inter Miami’s young trophy history. The victory over Mexican side Cruz Azul delivered a fifth title for the Florida club, with each of those honours having arrived since the World Cup winner joined the team.
The evening began with Messi finding space in the box after 20 minutes and directing a header beyond the Cruz Azul goalkeeper to put Miami ahead. It was a landmark finish as well as an important one: his 100th goal in Inter Miami colours.
Miami sealed the contest after Messi took a corner and Casemiro met the ball with his head for 2-0. The assist added another decisive contribution from the captain, whose 100-goal mark has come across 115 matches since his arrival at the club.
Anger at the officials overshadows the celebrations
Despite Miami’s control of the scoreline, Messi’s frustration with the refereeing grew as the match progressed. He believed several fouls, including one committed against him, had gone unpunished.
Television cameras caught him near the bench area as he passed an assistant official and directed a fierce complaint at the refereeing crew led by Costa Rican referee Keylor Herrera.
“It’s a disgrace. They are awful, awful,” Messi said towards the officials. He continued to gesture at one member of the team and added: “You too.”
The exchange quickly spread across social media, with Messi’s visible anger becoming a major talking point alongside Inter Miami’s latest silverware and his personal scoring milestone.
SEO Title: Lionel Messi scores 100th Inter Miami goal in Cruz Azul win
SEO Description: Lionel Messi scored and assisted as Inter Miami beat Cruz Azul 2-0 for their fifth trophy, while the Argentine captain criticised the refereeing team.
