As Messi made his way off the pitch after the final whistle, he was met with a hostile reception from the Vancouver faithful.
Inter Miami faced a tough evening at BC Place in the first leg of the CONCACAF Champions Cup semifinals on Thursday. Messi’s Inter Miami suffered a 2-0 defeat against Vancouver Whitecaps in front of a raucous crowd of over 53,000 fans. The home supporters let their feelings known as they booed Messi and his teammates throughout the match.
Despite having dominated possession for large parts of the game, Inter Miami struggled to create clear chances. Vancouver, on the other hand, capitalized brilliantly with clinical finishing, leaving Messi and his side frustrated on the scoreboard. The defeat put a serious dent in Inter Miami’s hopes of reaching the final.
The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner was kept unusually quiet by a disciplined Vancouver backline in the match. Messi saw two of his free-kick attempts easily gathered by the goalkeeper, while two more efforts from open play drifted harmlessly off target.
As Messi made his way off the pitch after the final whistle, he was met with a hostile reception from the Vancouver faithful. A chorus of boos echoed around the stadium, and one fan even waved a Cristiano Ronaldo jersey in the World Cup winner’s direction. Messi responded to the fan angrily with a pointed gesture. In the video which is now viral on social media, Messi appeared to be saying to the fan, “See you in the next game.”
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The second leg of the semifinal will take place on Wednesday at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where Messi and Co. will attempt to overturn the two-goal deficit. The winner of the tie will advance to the CONCACAF Champions Cup final against either Cruz Azul or Tigres UNAL on June 1. While Vancouver Whitecaps may have won the first leg, Messi’s message made it clear that the tie is far from over.
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