Opponent wants referee to give Messi red card

According to Orlando City coach Oscar Pareja, the referee did him a favor by not giving Lionel Messi a second yellow card and sending him off in the match against Inter Miami in the 1/16 round of the 2023 Leagues Cup.

In the 16th minute of the match on the morning of August 3, referee Ivan Barton blew the whistle to penalize Wilder Cartagena, causing Orlando City players to react. At the same time, Messi pushed Cartagena to quickly get the ball, creating the first scuffle.

Messi pushes Wilder Cartagena — Messi pushes Cartagena.

Minutes later, the Argentine star swept the opponent's post and received his first yellow card in an Inter Miami shirt.

Messi gets first yellow card at Inter Miami — Messi received his first yellow card at Inter Miami.

At the end of the first half, Messi pushed Cesar Araujo to the ground in an off-the-ball challenge but was not penalized. Araujo immediately chased and fouled Messi, causing the 2022 World Cup champion to become enraged and demand a yellow card from the referee. The two players continued to fight in the tunnel at half-time.

Messi demands referee give yellow card Cartagena — Messi pushed Cartagena down in an off-ball dispute.

Therefore, in the post-match press conference, coach Pareja criticized the referee for favoring Messi for not giving him a second yellow card. "I don't care if it's Messi or not, because the referee has to be fair to all players. Everything has to be fair and that's not what happened on the field," the Colombian coach emphasized.

Orlando City's coach was also unhappy with the decision to award Inter Miami a penalty in the 48th minute, when the score was 1-1. Striker Josef Martinez entered the penalty area and fell without receiving any clear impact from center-back Antonio Carlos. Orlando City players reacted strongly to the referee, but VAR did not intervene. At the 11m mark, Martinez shot low to the left corner, contrary to the Orlando City goalkeeper's prediction, raising the score to 2-1.

"We didn't deserve that penalty. That decision was influenced and we're very disappointed. It was a very clear dive. A few years ago, they didn't have VAR to assist the referee. But in that situation, VAR didn't even intervene," Pareja added, and continued to criticize the referee for turning the match into a "circus".

Coach Pareja in the loss to Inter Miami.

In this match, Messi continued to shine with a double. In the 7th minute, Robert Taylor chipped the ball into the penalty area for the Argentine star to support with his chest and volley with his left foot to open the score. Messi's other goal came in the 72nd minute, with a one-touch shot with his right foot, sealing the 3-1 victory.

After a series of 11 draws and losses, Inter Miami has won its last three matches thanks to the brilliance of Messi. Coach Pareja admitted that Inter Miami has improved in quality with stars like Messi, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba, but continued to reiterate the view that Orlando City's defeat was due to unfair refereeing decisions.