Lionel Messi felt unjustly denied a goal during the first half of Inter Miami`s Concacaf Champions Cup quarterfinal second leg against LAFC. However, the Argentine star took matters into his own hands, or rather, feet, and moments after a free kick was controversially disallowed, Messi scored a magnificent goal against goalkeeper Hugo Lloris.
Earlier in the first half, Messi took a free kick, and as Lloris organized his defensive wall, the referee moved away from the set-piece location. Messi then curled the ball into the unguarded side of the net. Lloris was unprepared, seemingly waiting for a whistle, but the referee initially signaled a goal. However, the referee reversed his decision shortly after, making Messi retake the free kick, which subsequently hit the wall.
This is the moment that sparked debate:
It`s a debatable situation. One perspective is that Messi, assuming he had the go-ahead as the referee moved away and initially signaled a goal, was justified in taking the free kick. Conversely, Lloris was still setting up his wall and appeared to be waiting for the referee`s whistle to resume play.
Trailing 1-0 in the match and 2-0 on aggregate, Messi`s incredible goal shortly after this controversial moment brought his team back level in the tie. His stunning strike found the top right corner of the goal.
The first half concluded with a 1-1 scoreline, a fair reflection of the game. The second half will be decisive for Inter Miami`s progress in the competition.
Inter Miami showed attacking promise with 12 shots in the first half and will need to maintain this level of offensive pressure to advance.
Dominic Ashworth