Emotions got the best of Inter Miami star Lionel Messi after he helped set up his team's game-winning goal against Atlas in Wednesday night's Leagues Cup opener.
In the final minute of stoppage time, Messi squared a perfect pass to his teammate for an easy tap-in (that was later confirmed by VAR) to give Inter Miami the late 2-1 lead.
It was a dramatic finish made even more dramatic by Messi's post-goal celebrations. Following the final whistle, the usually demure World Cup winner went right up to Atlas' Matías Cóccaro and screamed in his face, with cameras catching Messi's strongly worded message to the Liga MX striker. Messi's intense and heated reaction was likely in response to Cóccaro celebrating Atlas' 80th minute equalizer in front of Inter Miami fans earlier in the game.
But not long after Messi's end-of-game outburst, the Argentinian allegedly apologized to Cóccaro, and the two shared a sweet, no-hard-feelings hug on the pitch.
Cóccaro opened up to reporters about his short-lived spat with the G.O.A.T.:
"Right after we scored the equalizer, I started motivating my teammates—we were going for the second goal, that's why I celebrated like that," Cóccaro said. "Then Inter Miami scored again and Messi came to celebrate right in my face, full of emotion. And what can I say? I had to stay quiet. I mean, he’s the greatest of all time. You can't say anything back.
“After the game, he came to me, hugged me, and apologized. He was really sorry... That says a lot about who he is as a player. When someone like Messi speaks to you, you just have to listen. I have nothing but respect for the best in history."
since his MLS All-Star Game suspension
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Lionel Messi Sorry for His Emotional Outburst at Atlas Player After Game-Winning Goal.
