There was a crack in the carefully crafted image. Not in the tactics, not in the plan, but in the aura. Lionel Messi and Inter Miami were stunned by Vancouver Whitecaps, and while the match exposed tactical vulnerabilities, the story that captured headlines had little to do with formations or goals. Something about the aftermath, about what happened as Messi walked toward the tunnel, left a mark of its own.
But before we get to that, let’s talk about the game. It was supposed to be a stepping stone for Inter Miami—a semi-final challenge, yes, but one they were widely expected to pass. Instead, the Canadian side produced a 2-0 masterclass in the first leg of the CONCACAF Champions Cup semi-final, catching the Herons cold in front of a stunned crowd at BC Place.
Brian White opened the scoring, latching onto a perfectly weighted ball from Sebastian Berhalter, who would later add a second—a strike that many are calling the goal of the round. Vancouver didn’t dominate possession, nor did they need to. Their game plan was crisp: sit back, absorb, and strike on the counter. It worked.
Miami, meanwhile, struggled to penetrate. Lionel Messi was left shooting from distance, and even then, goalkeeper Yohei Takaoka denied him with brilliance. For a side built to control matches and crush opponents with relentless forward play, the lack of cutting edge was jarring.
Messi’s viral tunnel incident: What happened?
And then came the moment that would go viral. As Messi walked off the pitch, emotions running high, a fan near the tunnel waved a Cristiano Ronaldo Portugal jersey in his direction. The provocation was unmistakable, and the Argentine, visibly irritated, didn’t ignore it.
“Go watch him in Arabia, go see him there,” he allegedly fired back, via beIN SPORTS, as reported in several fan-captured videos posted on TikTok and X. The response referenced Ronaldo’s current stint with Al-Nassr in the Saudi Pro League and sparked an explosion of debate online.
Fans were split. “Some sympathized with Messi,” the report says, “seeing the reaction as human after a tough loss.” Others insisted a player of his stature should show more composure. Adding fuel to the fire, the 37-year-old reportedly pointed to his eye and then the scoreboard, a gesture interpreted by some as a silent promise: this isn’t over yet.
Road ahead: Mission nearly impossible?
If it wasn’t already a mountain, the task ahead has grown steeper. The second leg takes place on April 30 at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale. The Herons must not only overcome a two-goal deficit, but they must do so without conceding, or else Vancouver could advance via the away goals rule, still applicable in the CONCACAF format.
Interestingly, Javier Mascherano’s players have clawed back from similar positions. They overcame LAFC after being two goals down earlier in the tournament. But this time feels different. This time, the opponent isn’t just defending—it’s thriving in that role.
