One of the biggests storylines about the Concacaf Champions Cup tie between Monterrey and Inter Miami was the heated argument between Lionel Messi and Rayados coach Fernando Ortiz in the first leg.
In an appearance on “Podcast de Padilla”, Monterrey midfielder Jordi Cortizo revealed what happened in the dressing room at halftime of the first leg at Chase Stadium.
“Messi confronted Tano (Ortiz) at halftime and said, ‘Why do you speak ill of me when we’re both Argentinians?’ He also said everything to the referee… in the end, Tano’s strategy worked,” said Cortizo.
Ortiz seemed to get under Messi’s skin with his previous comments, in which he suggested Inter Miami could be favored due to Leo’s presence. According to Cortizo, Ortiz got on Messi’s nerves on purpose.
Lionel Messi #10 of Inter Miami looks on from the sidelines during the first half in the game against Monterrey in the quarterfinals of the Concacaf Champions Cup – Leg One at Chase Stadium on April 03, 2024 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
“From a media standpoint, Tano put the focus on that, and he told us, ‘You guys focus on playing, and let everything else come to me,’ so the focus was on him and we were calm,” added the 27-year-old.
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Monterrey gained the upper hand over Messi, Miami
Messi did not play in the first leg due to a hamstring injury, but he watched the game closely from the sidelines. Inter Miami started the game winning 1-0 but everything fell apart when David Ruiz saw the red card.
With the hosts down to 10 men, Monterrey turned up their level and immediately found the equalizer. In the final minutes of the game, Jorge Rodriguez turned things around for the Liga MX side.
Following the locker room incident, Monterrey banned Messi’s bodyguard Yassine Cheuko from entering the playing field at Estadio BBVA in the second leg as Cheuko was apparently involved in the argument.
Even though Messi returned just in time for the second leg in Mexico, he couldn’t prevent his side from getting eliminated. Monterrey got the job done at home, claiming a 3-1 win to punch a ticket to the semifinals and leave behind the incident from the first leg.
