Lionel Messi was left upset after Inter Miami were beaten 3-0 by Orlando City. After the match he criticised the refereeing mistakes and said MLS should look into the issue.
“We played very well in the first half today. We attacked created many chances. The opponent could not attack from behind and only played long,” Messi shared on Apple channel.
“Then a strange situation happened. One of their players passed the ball back to the goalkeeper. The referee told me he didn’t know the rules, didn’t see clearly didn’t understand the situation… And then from that situation, the ball went long and they scored,” said Messi.
“Actually, the last game against San Jose Earthquakes was a clear refereeing error. I’m not making excuses, but there’s always something going on with referees in important moments. I think MLS should take a closer look at the quality of refereeing he stressed.
Messi was referring to Orlando’s first goal in the 43rd minute. Inter Miami players thought goalkeeper Pedro Gallese used his hand illegally, but the referee did not call a penalty. Gallese then suddenly threw the ball up very quickly, causing chaos in the Inter Miami defense. Orlando’s Luis Muriel easily scored the opening goal.
This defeat is the 5th defeat in the last 7 matches of Inter Miami including in MLS and CONCACAF Champions Cup.
“It really hurts to lose another game. We are in a bad period but we have to keep trying and think about the next games. There are 3-4 more games this month, then we have to prepare for the Club World Cup,” Messi added.
Messi also stressed that this is the time when the team needs to be more united than ever, he believes that difficult times are when the team spirit is shown, not when everything is going smoothly.
“Now we can see what a team is really like. When things are going well it’s easy, but when things are tough like now we have to come together and fight together. I believe we have the ability and now we will focus on preparing for the next game against Philadelphia,” Messi concluded.
