Lionel Messi was involved in a heated altercation with the referee following Inter Miami’s latest draw.
Miami were held to a 1-1 draw by Charlotte on Saturday night, their third consecutive stalemate.
Charlotte had taken the lead in the 56th minute through a deflected strike before Messi drew his side level with a superb finish 10 minutes later. The visitors had a goal ruled out for offside late in the game and a flurry of chances followed after the referee added nine minutes of stoppage-time.
Charlotte forward Kerwin Vargas missed a glorious opportunity in the 96th minute, curling an effort wide of the post.
In the 102nd minute, Messi lofted the ball over six defenders and towards Jordi Alba, who headed the ball across to Luis Suarez. However, the Uruguayan striker failed to score from just a few yards out, instead skying the ball over the bar before rolling on the ground in agony having collided with goalkeeper Kristijan Kahlina.
Messi was left seething in the aftermath as he felt his team should have been awarded a penalty in the end.
He approached the referee and according to ‘Ole’ via Mundo Deportivo, told him: ‘You’re a mean-spirited son of a b****.’ The former Barcelona and PSG forward escaped a sending off and was booked instead, even though the match had ended.
Despite three straight draws, Miami are close to winning the Supporters’ Shield.
